A volunteer youth soccer coach in Obetz, Ohio, was removed from the city’s sports programs after his arrest on two felony counts involving alleged child sexual-abuse material. Court records cited by ABC6 On Your Side allege that Billy L. Wilburn III sent a video through Kik Messenger on June 14 depicting a prepubescent girl performing sexual acts on an adult man.
The records also allege that Wilburn solicited or received material involving a minor participating in sexual activity. The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office arrested him, according to the report. The available information does not establish how investigators obtained the video or what initially led them to Wilburn.
Obetz suspended Wilburn from volunteer coaching and revoked his access to the youth sports program, ABC6 reported. The city’s published youth-sports code says only authorized coaches who have passed required background checks may interact with or coach players, according to the City of Obetz Youth Sports League Code of Conduct.
What the charges mean under Ohio law
The two allegations do not carry the same statutory classification. Under Ohio Revised Code § 2907.322, the alleged distribution conduct corresponds to subsection (A)(2), while the alleged solicitation or receipt of material corresponds to subsection (A)(5), which is generally a fourth-degree felony for a first offense. The exact consequences would depend on the charges, prior record and any eventual conviction.
The supplied information does not establish that Wilburn has been convicted, that either allegation will result in a particular prison term, or that a specific sex-offender-registration tier will apply. An arrest and criminal complaint are allegations, not findings of guilt.
A local case within a large online-exploitation caseload
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office operates an Internet Crimes Against Children task force, placing the investigation within a specialized law-enforcement structure for online exploitation cases. Nationally, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention says ICAC task forces conducted nearly 347,000 investigations and arrested more than 17,000 offenders in 2025, figures that describe national activity rather than a trend in Obetz, as reported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said its CyberTipline received 21.3 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2025, including 1.4 million reports concerning online enticement. Those numbers count reports, not confirmed offenses, investigations or arrests, and they are broader than the allegations in the Obetz case, according to NCMEC’s 2025 CyberTipline report and its CyberTipline data page.
Screening is one safeguard, not a case finding
Obetz’s rule establishes a background-check requirement for authorized coaches, but the available records do not say what screening Wilburn underwent, when it occurred or whether it produced any warning relevant to the allegations. The information also does not establish that a background check detected or failed to detect conduct in this case.
Broader youth-sports guidance emphasizes controls beyond screening. The U.S. Center for SafeSport says electronic communications between adult participants and minor athletes should be open and transparent, subject to stated exceptions, and recommends that one-on-one interactions with athletes under 18 be observable and interruptible. Those are general prevention principles and have not been established here as requirements of Obetz’s program, according to the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s communication guidance and its administrator guidance.
Kik is central to the allegations because the court records identify it as the messaging service through which the video was allegedly sent. The available reporting does not explain whether the alleged conduct involved contact with a child in Obetz, whether Wilburn had prior contact with any alleged victim through soccer, or whether additional charges or victims are under investigation.
Anyone with information about potentially inappropriate conduct or communications involving Wilburn and a child should use the contact information provided by the Obetz Police Department or Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Members of the public should not share children’s names, photographs or identifying details online.
