A high school principal in Arizona has been arrested for allegedly trying to persuade a 12-year-old girl to “get cozy” in bed, take naked photos and perform sex acts — telling her, “I don’t mind your age,” according to authorities.
Joseph Kinney, the 42-year-old principal of Buckeye Union High School in the town of Buckeye, used an anonymous social media app called “Whisper” to talk to someone he assumed was a preteen girl — but was actually an undercover agent, according to court documents obtained by Fox 10 Phoenix.
Investigators zeroed in on Kinney in July when he responded to a post from the agent that said, “bored lol what should I do,” the station said.
Kinney — using the handle “Macabre Pure” — suggested that she “get cozy in her bed” and undress.
The agent, still posing as a young girl, told him she was only 12 — pointing out the request was weird.
“I don’t mind your age,” Kinney responded creepily, according to the court documents.
Later conversations became even more sexual — with the principal allegedly requesting the girl send nudes, the documents said.
He also said he’d love to “rescue” her from her grandmother’s Oregon home — where the agent claimed they were staying — so he could perform several sexual acts on her, according to the Arizona Republic.
The feds tracked down his IP address, then raided his Goodyear, Arizona home on Sept. 3. On the same day, he was picked up during a traffic stop and put on administrative leave, the Republic said of the pervy principal pictured grimacing in a flower-patterned shirt in his mugshot.
Kinney later admitted to cops that he had talked to “multiple females on Whisper that claimed to be underage,” according to the documents shared by Fox 10.
“[Kinney] said he never actually believed they were underage and assumed they were all adults and just engaged in fantasy chat and role-playing,” investigators wrote.
“[Kinney] recalled one female telling him she was nine years old, but her photo didn’t look like a nine-year-old, so he assumed she was an adult.”
The principal later said he felt “stupid and embarrassed for his decisions” and claimed he’d “never engage in sexual acts with a child,” the court docs said.
Kinney has been charged with luring a minor for sexual exploitation, and held on $60,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 12.
If he’s freed at any point, he’d have to wear an electronic monitor — and he’ll be banned for talking to minors or getting on the internet.
“This is another grim reminder of how important it is for parents to be aware of what websites their children do visit,” former FBI agent James Egelston told AZ Family about the case.
“Unfortunately, there are a lot of cases where people who have an interest in children try to work themselves into a position either through their professional employment or side interest where they have access to children,” he continued.
“People should be aware of that as well.”
