Visalia Police Department Coral Lytle.
Coral Annette Lytle, 41, who was accused of having sex with the boyfriends of her teenage daughters, was permitted to withdraw her guilty plea after a judge decided to delay sentencing in her case.
Lytle, of Tulare, California, was arrested in the fall of 2017 for her alleged intimate relationships with the two boys. The boys were reportedly freshmen students at Redwood High School at the time. Lytle agreed to plead guilty to 12 counts in exchange for a sentence of probation, one year in county jail and a suspended prison sentence of six years.
But on April 15, 2019, the judge decided to delay because he did not believe the agreed-upon sentence was appropriate, according to KFSN-TV. A new hearing was scheduled for Monday, April 22. The public information officer for the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, Stuart Anderson, explained to Heavy via email that Lytle will “return to court to set a new trial date or discuss an indicated sentence if she were to plead to the charges.”
That day in court did not result in a new plea. Instead, a new court date was set for June 17.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Prosecutors: Coral Lytle Was Accused of Supplying the Two Teen Boys With Alcohol & Engaging in Sexual Activity on Several Occassions
The Visalia Police Department arrested Coral Lytle in late October of 2017. Officers shared that they had been informed of an “inappropriate relationship” between Coral Lytle, who was 40 at the time, and a “male juvenile.” According to the criminal complaint, embedded in the next section of this article, both of the boys were under age 16 at the time of the alleged relationships.
The teen boy had come forward. The sexual acts reportedly took place in Visalia, which is located a few miles from Tulare.
Police said that after beginning the investigation, a second alleged victim came forward. Lytle was taken into custody and charged with multiple counts of “engaging in lewd acts with a minor.”
One of the reported victims told prosecutors that he and Lytle had sex three times. According to a brief obtained by KFSN-TV, the boy said that he “felt bad shaking Defendant’s husband’s hand knowing what he was doing with Defendant.”
The two boys were allegedly dating Lytle’s two daughters, according to the Tulare County Deputy District Attorney’s office. Prosecutors said that Lytle was also accused of giving the teens alcohol.
2. Coral Lytle Was Charged With Multiple Felony Sex Crimes Including Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a Minor
Prosecutors filed 21 charges against Coral Lytle, according to court records filed in the Superior Court of California. There were two separate filings.
The first filing was on October 31, 2017, when prosecutors initially charged Lytle with 12 felony counts. Eight of those counts were for engaging in a lewd act with a children at least 10 years younger than the defedant. Two counts were listed as “Contact with Minor for Sexual Offense.” Two additional charges for showing pornography to a child were dismissed in March of 2018.
Prosuctors filed additional charges April 3, 2018. They included 4 counts of “Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a minor,” with the distinction that the victim was younger than 16 and the defendant was older than 21. Officials also added 4 counts of “Meeting Minor for Lewd Purposes.”
The “Unlawful Sexual Intercourse with a minor” charge is statutory rape. Under the California penal code, the potential punishment for that crime if convicted is four years in prison. The lewd act charges can also result in a prison of sentence of several years and a $10,000 fine.
3. Coral Lytle Initially Pleaded Not Gulty But Agreed to Change Her Plea in Exchange for Probation
Coral Lytle entered “not guilty” pleas to all the charges, according to court records, and prosecutors planned for a jury trial.
But in early March of 2019, Lytle agreed to plead guilty to 12 charges in order to avoid prison time. The Visalia Times Delta reported that Lytle was offered 5 years probation, one year in county jail and a suspended six-year prison sentence. She would be sent to prison if she violated the probation. Lytle would also register as a sex offender.
But on April 15, Judge Joseph Kalashian decided that he didn’t feel the proposed deal was appropriate and delayed the sentencing. A new hearing was scheduled for the following Monday, April 22, and Lytle was permitted to withdraw her guilty plea.
4. Coral Lytle’s Husband Filed for Divorce With Days of His Wife’s Arrest
After reviewing the probation report, a Tulare County judge said he would not sentence 41-year-old Coral Lytle on Monday, saying he didn’t believe the indicated sentence was appropriate.
Eric Lytle filed for divorce on November 3, 2017, according to Superior Court of California court records. He filed less than a week after his wife, Coral Lytle, was arrested and charged with engaging in lewd acts with her daughters’ teenage boyfriends.
Court records show that Eric Lytle requested a temporary restraining order against Coral. It was withdrawn in June of 2018. Coral and Eric Lytle have four children together.
The records show that the “marital status” was terminated on October 25, 2018. But the case is ongoing over issues such as child support and visitation rights.
5. Coral Lytle Managed a Business Services Company Which Was Dissolved in 2018
Coral Lytle is 41 and the mother of four children. She did not appear to have any prior arrests or convictions in the state of California prior to the current case.
Lytle previously managed a business called Grovisible. According to records kept by the California Secretary of State’s office, Lytle registered the company as an LLC in September of 2012 and it was listed as a “Business Services” organization. But the company was dissolved in late 2018 and Eric Lytle’s signature was on the document.