A former volleyball coach who appeared in a viral sting operation video in August has been formally charged. Levi Garrett, 34, was investigated and charged with distributing material harmful to minors.
He allegedly sent sexually explicit photos of himself to a person he believed to be an underage boy, a probable cause affidavit states. He appeared in a viral video by YouTuber Jidon Adams, prompting an Indianapolis Police Department detective to open a case against him.
“There are no shortcuts in the investigation,” Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said of the charge. “When it comes to crimes against children, justice requires independent investigations and appropriate access to evidence so that cases can be built and perpetrators held to account in court.”
As of the publication of this article, Garrett has not yet been booked into the Marion County Jail. His next hearing in the case is a plea hearing, scheduled for January 27, 2026.
The viral video, uploaded to YouTube on August 13, 2025, depicts Adams confronting Garrett at the Academy Volleyball Club, where Garrett was previously employed. Adams’ property was violated. Many netizens criticized the police department for not immediately arresting Garrett because Adams had a folder containing so-called evidence.
Court documents: Sting operation leads to arrest
On August 14, 2025, Detective Jason Fletcher received evidence from Adams who conducted a sting operation to locate and confront individuals accused of engaging in sexually explicit online conversations with children. Fletcher was told Garrett had been communicating with a friend of Adams’ on the social networking app “Grindr.”
According to a probable cause affidavit, on March 2, 2025, Adams’ friend created a Grindr profile with the title “Trying to Have Fun” and a profile photo of what appeared to be a teenage boy. The account used an image of an adult whose photo had been edited to make them look younger, court documents said. According to Adams, his friend would portray himself as a 14-year-old boy.
According to official documents, Garrett’s Grindr account, titled “Well, Find Out,” contained multiple photos of him in a bathroom, fully and partially clothed.
According to court records, a text message Garrett sent to the fake account on the app read: “Top available.” The person behind the fake account then asked, “Do you mind if I’m young?” Garrett replied, “No, I don’t mind.” The message then showed Adams’ friend saying, “It’s cool because I’m only 14, but I’m upset about everything,” and Garrett liked the message.
Garrett’s probable cause affidavit then states that he sent three sexually explicit images showing a man’s buttocks wearing a jockstrap, a penis-shaped sex toy inserted into his anus, and his exposed anus spread open with his hands.
Related: Why Indianapolis volleyball coach wasn’t arrested after ‘Predator Hunter’ video went viral
The former volleyball coach agreed to meet at a location in Greencastle, Indiana, but when asked specifically whether he would drive to the location on his own initiative, Garrett blocked the fake account, according to court documents.
Adams provided Fletcher with a video from July 22 in which Fletcher confronted Garrett at the academy volleyball club where Garrett worked. During the confrontation, Garrett admitted that the image shared with the fake account was of his body.
Fletcher reviewed body-worn camera footage from Officer Joshua Keith, who was called to the scene on a report of someone in trouble.
A month after the video was recorded, Adams’ friends confirmed to police that she acted as a sting and further explained her role in helping Adams with a private investigative team that documents and reports online predatory behavior.
She confirmed to police that the screenshots and other digital evidence had not been altered or falsified.
Officials say unofficial sting operations don’t work… but this time it does
In the video of Adams’ confrontation with Garrett, IMPD Officer Joshua Keith, who arrived on the scene, tells Adams, “…I’ve been in this situation before. Our prosecutor is not going to touch this. So, I need probable cause that a crime occurred.”
At the time, Michael Leffler, a spokesman for the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, told IndyStar that the office strongly encouraged individuals to report suspicious incidents to law enforcement as early as possible.
The Indianapolis Police Department said in a statement at the time that “attempts to independently intervene or record content for social media could compromise the investigation and potentially endanger those involved.”
The YouTuber who traveled to Indiana for the sting operation lives in Texas and IndyStar could not reach him for comment. Garrett also could not be reached for comment.
The charge of transmitting harmful material to a minor is a Level 6 felony, which in Indiana is punishable by six months to two and a half years in prison.
If you are a victim or know someone who may have been affected or have information about this case, IMPD encourages people to contact the Sex Crimes Unit at 317-327-3330. Any information about individual cases can be submitted to the DCS Hotline at 1-800-800-5556 or the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children Cyber Tip Line at 1-800-843-5678 or report.cybertip.org.
Jed Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X (formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON).
This article originally appeared in The Indianapolis Star: Former volleyball coach charged after viral video sparks investigation