A child sex sting operation took place in the Houston area and resulted in the arrest of a superintendent for online solicitation of a minor.
Itasca ISD superintendent Michael Stevens, 47, was arrested last Thursday outside a school in Itasca, located approximately 55 miles southwest of Dallas in Hill County, FOX 4 News reported.
The authorities revealed that Stevens had been entrapped in the operation when he was caught soliciting explicit photos from a person whom he believed to be a 15-year-old girl from the Houston area.
However, the person he spoke with turned out to be an undercover officer.
According to Harris County Constable Alan Rosen, Stevens sent some explicit photos of himself and requested naked photos and videos in return. Some of Stevens’ images were taken in his office.
Before his arrest, Stevens planned to meet the person he thought was a 15-year-old girl in Houston and engaged in sexual actions with her.
Rosen said that Stevens allegedly suggested that he marry the girl’s mother so that the two of them could have a secret sexual relationship.
“That he would consider divorcing his wife if he knew the girl’s mother would marry him so he would have more access to the teen,” Rosen said.
CBS reported:
Stevens made his first court appearance on June 2. His lawyer asked for a $10,000 bond, but instead got a $100,000 bond.
He must also undergo random drug testing, is restricted in travel and must not have contact with anyone under the age of 17.
On social media, Itasca ISD said they were contacted by a detective with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, who said Stevens was taken into custody.
“You must make it a priority to know what your children are doing online,” Rosen said. “As you can see by this sting operation, there are dangerous predators out there grooming our children and can cause great harm.”