North Texas school superintendent arrested in Houston area underage sex solicitation sting
The Itasca school district superintendent was arrested Thursday by authorities from Harris County, where he is accused of online solicitation of a minor for sex, according to a county constable.
Itasca ISD Superintendent Michael Stephens planned to go to Houston and engage in sexual acts with a person he thought was a 15-year-old girl, the Office of Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen said in a news release. Stephens allegedly sent live naked photos of himself to an undercover investigator and asked that the teen send him naked photos and videos in return.
Video released by the constable’s office shows him being arrested outside his office. Rosen told KHOU-TV that some of the photos Stephens sent to the investigator through a social media app appeared to have been taken in his school district office.
Itasca is in Hill County, about 45 miles south of Fort Worth.
Stephens, 47, is also a former coach, principal and assistant principal in various districts across Texas, the news release said.
He was one of seven adults arrested in the Internet Crimes Against Children task force undercover sting by the constable’s office and the Humble Police Department.
“You must make it a priority to know what your children are doing online,” Constable Rosen said in the release. “As you can see by this sting operation, there are dangerous predators out there grooming our children and can cause great harm.”
This story was originally published June 1, 2023 at 5:24 PM.
