WACO — A former Lake Belton High School athletic trainer was sentenced in a federal court in Waco to 84 months in prison for possession of visual depictions of sexual activities by minors, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman.
According to court documents, Trevor Swift, 57, of Moody was working at Lake Belton High School in May 2022 when students, through his office window, observed him viewing images depicting child sexual abuse material on his cell phone. Students recorded Swift’s activities and reported his conduct to administrators.
He was dismissed from campus and placed on administrative leave, the release stated.
Swift was arrested May 26, 2022, and was convicted in a bench trial July 31, 2024.
Belton Independent School District, which is on spring break this week, released a statement in response to Telegram queries regarding the case.
“Student safety is our absolute priority,” said Malinda Golden, Belton ISD superintendent. “Any behavior that endangers our students should be met with the strongest possible consequences, including legal action.”
The district has stressed safety for staff and students.
“We conduct thorough background and reference checks on all employees as part of the hiring process to ensure a safe environment,” Golden said. “If anything were to flag in the system, it would give us cause not to hire the individual.”
School officials praised students for speaking out in the Swift case.
“As has been reported in the Trevor Swift case from 2021, it was students who reported a concern and we commend them for that,” Golden said. “Our students play a vital role in our safety protocols and we urge all students to report any safety concerns immediately. I will not tolerate any behavior that compromises their safety.”
The district noted that the Swift incident occurred before Golden’s tenure.
“I do not know how the previous administration communicated four years ago in the Trevor Swift incident, but I have demonstrated my commitment to communicate allegations of staff misconduct that pose a risk to students, even before formal charges or convictions,” Golden stated. “That is how we are and will continue to communicate in Belton ISD.”
During the initial investigation, the DOJ press release said, Swift admitted to Temple Police investigators that he had viewed sexually explicit images but said they were of adult males and females.
According to the release, the investigation included seizure of an SD memory card from Swift’s office at the high school, which revealed pornographic images depicting prepubescent and pubescent children — males and females as young as 5 years of age or younger — engaged in sexual acts.
While at Lake Belton High School, according to a Telegram story, Swift was recognized among other trainers in March 2021 for contributing to student-athlete safety.
The FBI and the Temple Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Kucera prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
