Suspicions began to focus on Tinsley after he was seen with a young girl at a local Starbucks -- which wouldn't have seemed that unusual in and of itself had he not been rubbing her leg at the time. A witness subsequently called the cops, who interviewed Tinsley and the student. They both denied that anything inappropriate was going on.
Text messages on the girl's phone, which her mother gave cops permission to access, told another story. Among the dozens of cyber-notes was one in which Tinsley reportedly asked the student if she was interested in joining the Mile High Club -- a question that resonated in an especially creepy way given that he was about to take a group of ten karate club members with him on a trip to Japan.
That trip was promptly canceled, and Tinsley is said to have admitted that he had sex with the student a half-dozen times while parked in lots, trailheads and open space areas.
Now, Tinsley has repeated that confession in a different way. According to the Longmont Times-Call, he's pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually exploiting a child. By doing so, he prompted the dismissal of two counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust but guaranteed himself a sentence of between two and six years in prison (supplemented by ten years' worth of probation) when formally sentenced on August 5.
Not much open space in his immediate future.
More from our Mug Shots archive: "Top 6 mug shots of 2010 accused teachers, caretakers."
