A private track coach and retired Army sergeant who worked in Killeen pleaded guilty this week to sexually assaulting a girl while on a road trip to meet college coaches.

56-year-old Kerry Sloan of Harker Heights admitted his crime to federal prosecutors and entered his guilty plea before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma Tuesday.

In a media release, U.S. Attorney Tent Shores said Sloan admitted to driving the victim from Killeen to Tulsa, Oklahoma in June of 2017 and intending to engage in sexual activity with her. He reportedly told prosecutors that he sexually assaulted the girl in a Tulsa hotel.

After a 911 call was made during the return trip, Sloan's vehicle was stopped by Pittsburg County deputies and he was taken into custody.

During an investigation, more victims came forward to say Sloan groomed and assaulted them. Some cases went back as far as 1990..

“Kerry Sloan was a wolf in sheep’s clothing," Shores said. "He portrayed himself to parents and children as a trustworthy and caring mentor when in reality he was a danger to young girls. During the course of this prosecution, even more victims than we were originally aware of came forward, claiming to have been groomed and assaulted by Mr. Sloan. His days of preying on unsuspecting families and their daughters are over. Federal prison is his next stop.”

As part of a plea deal, Sloan was allowed to remain free on bond until his sentencing, which is scheduled for June 26, 2019. Shores said Sloan will be "heavily monitored" by officers with the U.S. Probation Office.

Sloan faces anywhere from 10 years to life in prison and a fine of at least $250,000.

The Pittsburg County Sheriff’s Office, the Killeen Police Department, the Tulsa Police Departments, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the Sloan investigation. U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar prosecuted the case.

Sloan's case is being highlighted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.

Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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