A 22-year-old man accused of faking his enrollment into White Bear Lake High Area School and briefly attending classes received nude photos from one girl, and some parents of students reported “possible sexual assault incidents” involving the alleged fraudster, according to police.
The disclosures came in a search warrant affidavit filed in Washington County District Court and made public Monday.
On Oct. 1, police announced its investigation in possible “unlawful conduct involving interactions with minors” by the man who said he was 17 years old while attending classes from Sept. 3 to Sept. 19 and participating in three football practices until the alleged scheme was exposed.
Principal Russell Reetz told families in a message the man “appears to have provided fraudulent documentation and a false identity to enroll” at the school.
The search warrant affidavit cleared the way for police to seize the man’s cellphone “that will contain texts, social media message and photos that would likely show evidence of CSC [criminal sexual conduct], soliciting a minor and child pornography crimes.”
The filing noted that a woman told police about her daughter seeing the man’s jail mugshot on social media and recognizing him as a fellow White Bear student who was using an alias at school. The mother’s account prompted police and the school district to investigate.
Subsequently, the affidavit continued, “multiple juvenile females have come forward to report that [the man] had been communicating with them via social media. A school resource officer is following up with an allegation that [he] received nude photos from a juvenile female, [and] multiple parents of students have called to report possible sexual incidents regarding [the man].”
The Minnesota Star Tribune is not reporting the man’s true identity, because he has yet to be charged with a crime related to his time at the school.
