Update: PWC Schools Ex-Wrestling Coach Charged Over Sexual Invitation To Underage Girl

Updated 5/12

WOODSTOCK, VA – A former wrestling coach at Battlefield High School in Haymarket has been charged with a sexual offense against a minor after allegedly sending a sexual invitation over Instagram to an underage girl he had coached.

Charles Tyler Atwell of Rochelle, VA, was arrested on April 29 by the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office and charged with using a computer to commit sex offenses with a minor, according to court records. Punishment for the class 6 felony can be up to 5 years in jail.

According to charging documents, Atwell contacted the girl over Instagram shortly before 8:30 p.m. on April 19, instigating a conversation in which he made suggestive comments, invited her for a free private training session, and finally made a more explicit reference to having sex. The girl says Atwell should be aware of her age, as he had coached her.

What appears to be the Instagram account of Atwell’s private wrestling academy, Atwell Trained, shows photos of wrestlers from Battlefield High School in Haymarket. The account also lists Atwell as a Virginia National Team coach and a coach with the Ranger Wrestling Club. It lists training sites in Leesburg and Manassas.

Director and coach of the Ranger Wrestling Club Joel Caruso told Patch Atwell had coached with them from November 2023 through January 2026, and that his termination from the club was in no way related to any criminal charges. "Definitely a sad and distressing situation," Caruso said in an email. "We are a tight knit community/family so it's devasting news for all of us."

Caruso also shared a letter to Ranger Wrestling Club parents in which he reiterated the club's adherence to USA Wrestling training policies, including mandatory background checks, and the open nature of practices, with parents and multiple coaches present. "[W]e have no reason to believe any such improper or illegal behavior occurred within our program, but of course we want to have these conversations as necessary and remain vigilant and proactive for the safety and protection of our wrestlers," the letter stated.

WUSA 9 reports that the principal of Battlefield High School has written to parents about the arrest, stressing that Atwell is not currently working with the school.

“We have been informed about the recent arrest of Tyler Atwell, former assistant wrestling coach at Battlefield High School. Public records indicate he was arrested for solicitation of a minor in another Virginia county. Mr. Atwell has not been working with our school since March; however, I understand that this news may be unsettling,” Battlefield High School Principal Delores Lucas wrote in a letter to parents, according to WUSA 9.

Atwell Training's last Instagram post is from April 19, the day of the alleged incident, according to court documents.

Atwell’s next court date is May 21 in Shenandoah Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.