He was accused of rape, sending nude photos. Fired Estill County coach sentenced.

A former soccer coach at Estill County High School — accused of rape of a minor and sending nude images to girls — was sentenced to two years in prison Tuesday, according to court records and media reports.

Andrew Hatton, 29, of Irvine pleaded guilty in August to one count of third-degree rape and two counts of sending nude images to minors, according to Estill County Circuit Court. He’d initially been charged with multiple counts of rape; possessing child pornography; and other charges.

The plea deal on reduced charges was reached between Hatton and the prosecution because the three victims did not want to testify in trial, the prosecutor told LEX 18’s Leigh Searcy. The judge criticized the sentence terms, calling them “lenient,” LEX 18 reported.

One soccer player said Hatton had sex with her multiple times, WKYT reported previously. Hatton was also accused of sending nude photos to three girls, according to WYMT.

One of the three victims said in court Tuesday she’s afraid she’ll run into Hatton in public, LEX 18 reported.

Estill County School District Superintendent Jeff Saylor said in August 2018 that within minutes of school officials receiving allegations of “inappropriate actions by Coach Andrew Hatton, local law enforcement was notified.“

A day after Hatton was arrested in August, he was fired from the district. Saylor said the school district would provide support for the impacted students and families.

This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 4:05 PM.