Courts. (Credit: LevittownNow.com)
A Bucks County woman who once coached a travel softball team has been sentenced to a year of probation and will be required to register as a sex offender after admitting prosecutors could prove she had inappropriate contact with a teenage player in Abington Township, according to a report.
Sydney Palmer, 30, of Richboro, entered a no contest plea to a misdemeanor indecent assault charge in Montgomery County Court. The charge stems from incidents that occurred between August 2020 and February 2023 with a girl who was between 14 and 16 years old.
Judge Risa Vetri Ferman handed down the sentence as part of a plea deal. Palmer must now report her address to state police for the next 15 years under Pennsylvania’s Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Assistant District Attorney Lauren Elizabeth Marvel said the outcome ensures Palmer will remain under court supervision and on the registry, providing a safeguard for others. “This is a perpetrator who will be on the sex offender registry for many years… it will provide information to people who might otherwise interact with her,” Marvel said.
Palmer, who had been a volunteer coach with the Bucks County Militia softball team, was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a teenage player. Abington police launched an investigation in February 2023 after receiving a ChildLine report about the coach, who players knew as “Syd.” Detectives later uncovered social media communications and a video showing Palmer and the victim kissing.
More serious charges, including unlawful contact with a minor and child endangerment, were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
Although state evaluators initially recommended Palmer be classified as a sexually violent predator, prosecutors ultimately decided not to pursue that designation.
Palmer was represented by defense attorneys Louis R. Busico and Blake M. Jackman.
