A local high school football coach resigned from his job after he was arrested in a federal sting operation for soliciting prostitution.
Tim Morrison, who now faces up to two years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine, worked as the offensive coordinator for Marcus High School’s football team in Flower Mound for more than four years until he quit his job on January 18, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Morrison tendered his resignation after being ensnared in an undercover bust led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security targeting online solicitors of prostitution at hotels in McKinney and Southlake, covered by The Dallas Express.
In an attempt to battle a rise in sex trafficking, new state laws on prostitution were enacted in Texas in September 2021, making solicitation a felony. Texas is so far the only state in the country to do so.
“Mr. Morrison was placed on administrative leave when the district became aware of his arrest and subsequently submitted his resignation to the district,” said a Lewisville Independent School District spokesperson, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Following Morrison’s resignation, his former school’s principal sent an email to parents:
“I understand this is difficult news for our students and our school community. Our focus will continue to be supporting our students through any impact they may experience due to Coach Morrison’s unexpected departure.”
Morrison was one of 46 men arrested in the operation.
“When you think of trafficking, you think of streets in Dallas or Fort Worth or strip clubs. But there’s a lot of demand in the suburbs,” said Homeland Security Investigations agent John Perez, speaking with The Dallas Morning News. Perez oversees the North Texas Trafficking Task Force.
Prostitution-related offenses were, in fact, up in 2022 compared to 2021, according to the City of Dallas Open Data crime analytics dashboard.
As previously reported in The Dallas Express, the overwhelming majority of offenses recorded so far this year — all but one — occurred in City Councilman Omar Narvaez’s District 6.
The Dallas Express reached out to Southlake Police Department, Lewisville ISD, and the Southlake Hilton where the sting occurred for comment. No responses had been received at press time.
