Valley coach and educator arrested for luring a minor

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – 45-year-old Jason Imhoff is facing multiple felony charges following his arrest by Scottsdale Police. He is accused of trying to meet for sex with an undercover officer he believed to be 13 years old.

The court documents allege that Imhoff began chatting online with an undercover officer who he believed was a 13-year-old girl. Imhoff’s account allegedly bore the username “AZ Coach” and told the undercover agent that he was “a former youth coach and that he was ‘definitely’ interested in younger people,” court documents say.

Imhoff is accused of sending sexually explicit messages and images to the undercover officer and eventually driving to a meeting with the undercover officer to have sex. He told the undercover agent he would bring Plan B.

The police stopped Imhoff on the way and found cocaine, alcohol and condoms in his car. Imhoff admitted to investigators that he was there to see a “young lady” he met online.

A social media account with the name Jason Imhoff listed himself as “Baseball Coach at American Leadership Academy – Ironwood Campus.” A spokesperson for the American Leadership Academy told ABC15: “Jason Imhoff does not work for ALA. He has not worked for ALA since 2018. As with our normal hiring process, we can confirm that he had a valid fingerprint clearance card during his previous employment with ALA.”

Court records show Imhoff worked as a behavior specialist at the Austin Centers for Exceptional Students for 18 years. Imhoff reportedly told investigators he worked with children with special needs.

The Austin Centers for Exceptional Students sent ABC15 the following statement:

“When the Scottsdale Police Department learned of this situation, Austin Centers immediately terminated its employment with the individual. Law enforcement confirmed that the alleged crimes were unrelated to Austin Centers or our students. All individuals employed at Austin Centers are required to pass a comprehensive federal, state and local criminal background check and have a current Arizona IVP fingerprint clearance card. As we have done for the past 30 years, Austin Centers will continue to consider the well-being and safety of our students as our highest priority.”