Texas Superintendent Arrested in Sting Posing as Teens

Authorities say that a Texas school superintendent sent lewd photos to an undercover cop who was pretending to be a 15-year-old girl online and whom he planned to meet.

Court records say that 47-year-old Michael Keith Stevens, the superintendent of the Itasca Independent School District, was arrested on Thursday and charged with online solicitation of a child.

It’s about 55 miles south of Dallas to get to Itasca Independent School District.

On Friday afternoon, Stevens was taken to the Harris County jail. From what can be found online, his bond was set at $100,000.

It wasn’t clear right away if he had hired a lawyer. Stevens’ family members could not be reached right away for comment.

Stevens was one of seven people who were nabbed after an undercover operation with more than a dozen local law enforcement agencies.

Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen said in a video statement shared on Facebook that officers pretended to be teens ages 13, 14, and 15 and talked to them online.

Rosen said that the school principal was supposedly talking to a teen he thought was from Houston.

The officer said, “He sent pictures of his private parts and asked for naked videos and pictures in return.” “He told the undercover detective that he was at work, and it looks like some of his disturbing photos were taken in his office. During the chat, he was making plans to have sex acts in Houston.”

Stevens has worked with children his whole life. In different towns in north Texas, he has worked as a coach, a director, and an assistant principal. He’s married, but he doesn’t have any kids,” Rosen said.

On Friday, no one from the Itasca schools could be reached.

On its Facebook page, the school district said, “On June 1, 2023, a deputy with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department got in touch with the District. The officer said that Superintendent Michael Stevens had been arrested. We can’t say anything else until more facts are known for sure. The Board of Trustees will hold a meeting to talk about this and decide what to do about it.

Monday, the Itasca district put up a notice about a special meeting.

In 2022, Stevens was named director, according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. Stevens worked in several Texas districts before he moved to Hill County.

Rosen told parents in his video speech that they should keep a close eye on what their kids do online.

He said that these cases should wake up parents. “You need to know what your kids do online. There are apps that can help you keep track, even on your cell phone.”

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