An employee of an Ohio public school was charged with coercion and enticement after investigators alleged undercover agents caught him trying to sex with an eight-year-old girl, the FBI announced Monday.
Bradley Willem Beun, 41, is the director of special services for Springfield Local Schools, according to News 5. Investigators allege that Beun spoke with an undercover agent who he thought was the child’s father on the messaging app KiK, according to News 5.
The Cleveland Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Announces the Arrest of Bradley Willem Beun: Officials announce the arrest of Bradley Willem Beun of Uniontown, Ohio, on charges of coercion and enticement. https://t.co/x1YALEyiaz
— FBI Cleveland (@FBICleveland) April 19, 2021
Agents with the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force in Toledo allegedly found Beun during an investigation in April, according to News 5.
A username “dbend2021” answered a post the undercover agent made online, and sent a message inquiring about a sexual encounter with an eight-year-old girl that the undercover agent said was his daughter.
The user allegedly said the child “sounds cute” after the undercover agent was prompted to describe her, according to News 5. Beun allegedly said he had “never done this before” and described the sexual acts he wanted to commit on the child, according to investigators.
Investigators alleged Beun arranged to meet the undercover agent and the child at a hotel on April 15. When Beun arrived at the hotel, FBI agents arrested him, according to the FBI statement. Agents allegedly found Skittles, condoms, and a bottle of NyQuil inside the vehicle — items agents requested during the chat with the undercover agent, according to the FBI.
Beun was charged with coercion or enticement and the school district placed him on administrative leave, according to WKBN.
“Mr. Beun is barred from attending all school functions, is not allowed on school grounds, and is prohibited from doing any business on behalf of the school,” the district’s superintendent Chuck Sincere said, according to WKBN.
Numerous other school employees around the country were arrested for sex offenses related to minors in the days prior to Beun’s arrest.
A former Texas public school teacher was arrested Saturday on charges of sexually abusing a child. Police said the former teacher reportedly admitted to having a sexual relationship with a former student, who alleged that the teacher had sex with him shortly after he turned 13. (RELATED: Teacher Charged With Child Sex Abuse Admits To Having Sexual Relationship With Former Student, Police Say)
Another teacher in Texas, who taught first grade, was charged with possession of child pornography in April. Investigators say they found numerous images showing an adult male engaging in sexual intercourse with children as young as three.