Elkhorn wrestling coach nabbed in undercover sex sting

DELAVAN -- Delavan police say they nabbed a 31-year-old Elkhorn man who they say was hoping to pick up a young boy for sex. As it turned out, that "young boy" was an undercover officer.

FOX6 News has learned 31-year-old Steven Springsteen-Hensel helped coach kids trying to learn wrestling.

Tuesday afternoon, May 15th, police say he took a drive down the road in Delavan with very bad intentions.

Police say Springsteen-Hensel chose the parking lot of Phoenix Middle School as the meeting place, where an undercover sting operation eventually took place.

Delavan Police Chief Timothy O'Neill says Springsteen-Hensel had no idea that the "boy" he was chatting with was actually an undercover officer.

Students at Phoenix Middle School were notified Wednesday, May 16th regarding what happened in the parking lot. School leaders say the arrest happened very fast.

A website says Springsteen-Hensel is a director at a non-profit wrestling gym in Elkhorn, who has been training kids directly for years.

Jacob Soto knows Springsteen-Hensel as his former wrestling and middle school football coach. Soto says Springsteen-Hensel has been working with kids for over a decade, and these charges never crossed his mind. "It is just really creepy. You think you know people, and then stuff like this happens. I guess you really don't know people as well as you think you do," Soto said.

Delavan police are asking anyone with information about Springsteen-Hensel to call police.

Formal charges have not yet been filed, but could come as early as Thursday, May 17th.