ST. CLOUD, Fla. – A Harmony High School teacher is under arrest after police say he showed up to meet a girl he believed was 14 years old.
Hayden Anthis, a geometry teacher at Harmony High since 2017, was arrested after detectives with the St. Cloud Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit say he began corresponding in an online forum with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Back in June, detectives say the conversations began. On Thursday, police say Anthis offered to meet for sex — and showed up with condoms.
He met officers instead.
Charges
Anthis faces two charges:
- Traveling to Meet a Minor
- Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communications Device
School District Response
Osceola County Schools confirmed Anthis had been employed as a geometry teacher at Harmony High since 2017. The district says he has been banned from all Osceola School District properties effective immediately.
“Our commitment remains on providing a safe, supportive, and secure learning environment for every student,” the district said in a statement.
ICAC Detectives
St. Cloud’s ICAC unit typically assists other law enforcement agencies in building cases against online predators. In this case, detectives say the target was local.
“This behavior is inexcusable,” police said in a statement.