Florida Math Teacher Arrested After Online Sting Targeting Supposed 14-Year-Old
A 34-year-old mathematics teacher in Saint Cloud was charged with attempting to arrange sexual contact with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl, after an undercover online operation.
Saint Cloud police arrested 34-year-old Hayden Anthis, a long-time geometry instructor for the Osceola County School District, after he spent weeks communicating online with an undercover officer pretending to be a 14-year-old girl. Anthis arranged to meet the supposed minor, but law enforcement officers were waiting and placed him under arrest. Following his detention, the school district barred him from all district facilities and a judge ordered him not to have any contact with minors pending trial.
He was released on bond, and prosecutors say the alleged conduct violates Florida’s Computer Pornography and Child Exploitation Prevention Act, a felony punishable by five to fifteen years in prison. The case adds to a broader pattern of educator sexual misconduct highlighted in recent investigations. No charges have been filed against the school district itself.
Why it matters
It highlights ongoing concerns about teacher misconduct and the use of online sting operations to protect minors.
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