A man who spent five years coaching varsity girls’ tennis at Forest Grove High School appeared in federal court in Portland on Tuesday, accused of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse images, transferring obscene material, and coercion and enticement. A magistrate judge ordered Theodore J. “T.J.” Buehler, 55, of Newberg, to remain in custody pending trial.
Buehler coached the Forest Grove varsity women’s tennis team for five years through January 2019 and also led summer tennis clinics in Forest Grove for players ages 9 to 18, according to OregonLive.com. The outlet reports he was previously president of the Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce and, per his LinkedIn page, has worked as an investment counselor for Fisher Investments and was named conference coach of the year twice during his tenure.
Prosecutors Detail Allegations in Court
Prosecutor Kate Rochat told the court that Buehler is alleged to have distributed multiple child sex abuse images of prepubescent children. Judge Youlee Yim You said alleged online conversations about exchanging child sex abuse videos showed a level of involvement greater than one would see in a possession case, according to the same report.
The judge also said Buehler allegedly made online statements about acts he claimed to have committed against girls he coached in high school tennis, and that the alleged claims involved a 5-year-old child. The federal complaint and supporting affidavit in the case remain sealed, the report notes.
Defense Pushes Back, Seeks Release
Buehler’s attorney, Chandra Peterson, told the court her client cooperated with FBI agents and argued that his online statements describing abuse of a child were not true and were made in anonymous communication, fabricated to bolster his credibility online. Peterson said Buehler exhibited no grooming behavior in the chats and was not a criminal mastermind, and noted he obtained his MBA at Portland State University and has lived in Oregon since 1993.
Peterson sought Buehler’s release to his parents’ home under electronic monitoring and home detention, saying he had strong community ties and that his family would participate in a safety plan while he awaited trial. The judge instead ordered him held pending trial, the report states.
A Separate Case From Years Earlier
Buehler’s case echoes an earlier, unrelated episode in the same school district. Former Forest Grove boys’ basketball coach Dylan T. Sullivan, who coached there from 2012 to 2013, was sentenced in January 2019 to a year in jail and five years’ probation after pleading guilty to coercion and harassment involving two La Pine High School students, according to the Forest Grove News-Times. Sullivan agreed to surrender his Oregon teaching license as part of that plea agreement. The two cases involve different people and different conduct, and Sullivan’s case is not connected to the current federal allegations against Buehler.
Buehler’s case remains in its early stages, with the underlying complaint and affidavit sealed and no trial date made public. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported this account from Tuesday’s hearing in Portland.
