PHOENIX — A Phoenix teacher was arrested Thursday for allegedly trying to have sexual contact with a juvenile boy, officials said.
The suspect in this incident is Samuel Gerald Bauman, 30, police said.
According to court documents, a Homeland Security Investigations agent went undercover in March and posed as the father of a young boy on an online dating app. The documents also revealed a conversation between Bauman and the agent turned to sexual conduct with children. On another online application, the conversation continued and photos were reportedly exchanged. Bauman also allegedly mentioned he was a teacher during the chat.
On March 23, HSI ran the picture Bauman shared and processed it through facial recognition software and found a match. He was apparently tagged in a photo and the tag led agents to a profile, allegedly with Bauman’s name. Agents then conducted another online search in a law enforcement database and got a hit.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Maestro de Phoenix arrestado por presuntamente intentar encuentro sexual con un menor
Bauman reportedly asked the undercover agent, during the conversation, if he had ever had sex with the son, documents say. The agent then set up a meeting with Bauman the following day. When Bauman arrived for the meeting on March 23, he was taken into custody by agents. Court documents also revealed that sex paraphernalia was found in his car.
During the investigation, officials said agents learned that Bauman had worked for Mesa Unified School District and the Phoenix Coding Academy.
Mesa Public Schools released the following statement after the arrest:
"Mesa Public Schools is aware of an active law enforcement investigation involving Samuel Bauman, who was employed by the district as a teacher from 2018-22. The district has not been contacted about this investigation by law enforcement but will fully cooperate as needed."
The Phoenix Union High School District issued the following statement:
"Over the weekend, the District administrative team was contacted by law enforcement, informing us that Phoenix Coding Academy teacher Mr. Samuel Bauman was placed under arrest. Mr. Bauman was immediately placed on Administrative Leave by the District administration. PXU will cooperate fully with law enforcement as they continue to investigate. The District will follow all internal protocols and procedures as we launch our own investigation as prescribed by applicable law and Governing Board policy."
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