A Virginia high school teacher was allegedly caught in a September child predator sting operation, police said.
Kevin Lee Joyce, a 39-year-old teacher at Forest Park Academy in the Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) system, was arrested and charged Wednesday for allegedly trying to meet a girl whom he believed to be under the age of 15, WDBJ reported.
Investigators with the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office began the online undercover operation on September 10, targeting Joyce because they “suspected” him to be a “sexual predator,” the outlet stated.
Because he worked with minors in the public school system, law enforcement authorities decided to take him into custody before he traveled to the alleged meet-up.
The disgraced teacher reportedly admitted to that accusation in a later interview with detectives.
Joyce has since been charged with five counts of using communication systems to facilitate certain offenses against minors, the sheriff’s office said.
Police added that RCPS has been cooperative during the investigation.
The district released the following statement to parents, saying that Joyce has been placed on leave pending the investigation’s conclusion:
We are writing to inform you that the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office has arrested and charged a school employee for crimes committed against a minor.
While we are limited in what we can say due to the police investigation, we have promised you transparency; therefore, we want to make you aware that:
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School and division administrators are providing the Sheriff’s Office and the Commonwealth’s Attorney with the information needed for the investigation.
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The employee has been placed on leave.
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The employee’s employment status will be determined pending the results of the investigation.
“Roanoke City Public Schools and Forest Park Academy take the safety and well-being of our students seriously and it is our top priority. Prior to employment, all applicants are vetted through a rigorous process of background checks and reviews,” the district added. “Continuous training and attention to student safety and well-being is an ongoing focus in RCPS.”
“As educators, we are entrusted with the well-being of the children in our care every day. We do not take this responsibility lightly,” school officials continued before encouraging students in need of counseling to reach out.
A press conference held by the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office further announced the teacher’s arrest to the public, celebrating that they “got this one before he made it to Alleghany”:
