AUSTIN (KXAN) — A man who coached for the Lake Travis Youth Association (LTYA) was arrested on multiple sex crime charges, court documents state.
According to a warrant issued for Rusty Whittaker in North Carolina, he faces the following charges:
- Statutory rape of a child by an adult
- Statutory sex offense with a child under the age of 15
- Two counts of indecent liberties with a child
- First-degree sexual exploitation of a minor
- Soliciting prostitution of a minor
According to the volunteer status list for LTYA, Whittaker passed a background check that is up for renewal in March 2025. The list also states he completed a program related to the organization’s abuse prevention policy.
“Safety of our players and our community is the foremost priority for us,” said Scott Cronk, the executive director of LTYA. “We have a policy that requires volunteer coaches to complete background checks, and nothing of this nature was revealed.”
Cronk said Whittaker passed his most recent background check in March. Court documents show the arrest happened in June.
As of midday Friday, Cronk said Whittaker had not spoken to him about the charges. Cronk said he learned of the arrest when KXAN reached out to LTYA for comment. He said this is the first time an LTYA volunteer has been charged with something like this, and the standard policy is to suspend volunteers indefinitely. Since he was just made aware of the allegations Friday, he said he is looking further into the case.
Online records show the FBI arrested Whittaker. The agency did not comment further on the case. Court documents did not outline the details of the incident Whittaker was arrested for.
Doctor Chris Hansen, a clinical supervisor with Thriveworks in Austin, isn’t connected to this case, but said it highlights the importance of parents communicating with their children about their relationships with other adults.
“We don’t want to communicate an overly dangerous world, but we want them to be self aware enough to where if they see red flags, one they’re not afraid to go ‘No, I’m not comfortable with that,'” he said. “And two, they feel comfortable going back to mom and dad and be comfortable saying ‘Hey this happened, I don’t feel good about this.”
Cronk said the last time Whittaker coached was in May, and there are not currently any sports leagues running.
KXAN has reached out to Whittaker and his attorney for comment and will update this story when we hear back.
