HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (Local10 News) – A principal with the Hillsborough County School District faces multiple charges, after deputies say he sent sexually explicit texts to an undercover detective he assumed was a juvenile.
Undercover detectives engaged in chat operations with the principal of Dawson Elementary School, Derrick McLaughlin, 41, in Riverview from Jan. 19 through Jan. 27. Detectives portrayed themselves as a 15-year-old boy during the chat that was initiated on a social media app.
Detectives say over the course of the investigation, McLaughlin attempted to entice the undercover detectives he believed was a teenager to engage in sexual acts.
McLaughlin was arrested on Thursday and faces charges of Transmission of Harmful Material to a Minor, Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communications Device, and Use of Computer Services or Devices to Solicit Certain Illegal Acts.
McLaughlin made suicidal comments at the time of his arrest and has been placed under a Baker Act.
The investigation remains active.
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