H-E-B principal placed on administrative leave after arrest

The principal of Viridian Elementary School in the H-E-B district has been placed on administrative leave after being arrested in Frisco Tuesday on suspicion of online solicitation of a minor, officials said.

Oscar Figueroa, 46, was arrested at Stonebriar Centre mall about 3 p.m. Tuesday after he agreed to meet someone he believed was a juvenile but was actually a undercover detective, Frisco Officer Chad LaPrelle said Wednesday.

LaPrelle said Figueroa and the detective interacted on a “social media platform.” He did not know how long the investigation had been going on. He said it involves multiple agencies.

“There were no children contacted by Figueroa during this incident, as his actions consisted of dialogue with detectives only,” Frisco spokesman Colby Hill wrote in a statement sent out late Tuesday.

Figueroa was released from jail on $10,000 bail Wednesday afternoon. He faces a second-degree felony charge, which is punishable by two to 20 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

The elementary school is in the Viridian master-planned community in north Arlington but is in the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district. Arlington police said Wednesday they were not involved in the investigation.

Hurst-Euless-Bedford school officials were contacted by police about 5 p.m. Tuesday. H-E-B Superintendent Steve Chapman sent a phone recording to parents and Viridian Elementary employees Wednesday that said in part:

“You may have heard of seen in the news late last night or this morning the report of a situation involving Virdian’s principal, Oscar Figueroa. We are as taken aback as you may be and want to make you aware of the information the district has at this time. We are following all state and local policies as this situation is investigated and the allegations are addressed.”

Figueroa has been an educator for 20 years. He joined the H-E-B district in 2007 as a bilingual/ESL coordinator, a position he had for four years before he was appointed principal at Hurst Hills Elementary in 2011, according to district spokeswoman Judy Ramos.

Figueroa was named principal at Viridian Elementary in January 2014 and he began hiring staff and working as principal while the school was under construction, according to the district.

Earlier in his career, Figueroa worked in the Richardson and Little Elm school districts. In 2004, he opened Carolyn G. Bukhair Elementary School in Richardson.

While in Little Elm, Figueroa was the district gifted-and-talented coordinator, grant writer, and bilingual/ESL coordinator. He was also principal of King Early Childhood Center.

Figueroa has a master of education degree from Southern Methodist University and a bachelor of science from North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, according to the H-E-B district website.

He is married with three children.

He could not be reached to comment Wednesday.

Staff writer Domingo Ramirez Jr. contributed to this report.

This story was originally published July 7, 2015 at 10:53 PM with the headline "H-E-B principal placed on administrative leave after arrest."