Music teacher sent explicit videos, tried to meet with 13-year-old, NY official says
A school music teacher sent sexually explicit videos to someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl, then tried to meet up with her — but it wasn't a teen girl he was talking to, according to a district attorney's office in New York.
As a Buffalo Public School District employee, Steven C. DeMart repeatedly messaged with the person on social media, believing they were a minor, according to Eerie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane.
DeMart, 36, of Amherst, pleaded guilty March 12 to one count of attempted endangering the welfare of a child, Keane's office said in a March 14 news release.
A judge sentenced the now-former music teacher to a one-year conditional discharge, according to the district attorney's office.
DeMart was also ordered to give up his teaching license, the district attorney's office said.
Attorney information for DeMart wasn't listed in the release.
The attempted meet-up happened May 28, 2024, according to the district attorney.
That same day, DeMart himself reported to Amherst Police Department and told officers about his attempt to meet up with the supposed child, according to the district attorney's office.
In June, a Buffalo Public School District spokesperson told WKBW-TV that DeMart 'was immediately placed on paid administrative leave on May 29, 2024, pending an investigation.'
DeMart was suspended as a teacher following the police report, the district attorney's office said in an earlier news release announcing his Aug. 22 arraignment.
He was 'communicating with an adult who was impersonating a juvenile female,' the office said at the time.
The district attorney's office didn't identify the adult.
In recent years across the U.S., people have set out to catch adults who might be preying on children online, McClatchy News previously reported. Several citizens have formed groups to carry out their own unofficial sting operations, which often involve a member of the group posing as a decoy minor.
Mary Graw Leary, a law professor at the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law and a former federal prosecutor, previously told McClatchy News that 'if your goal is to incarcerate offenders of children, the best people to leave it to are the professionals, law enforcement, prosecutors, etc.'
Suspected child exploitation can be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline online, or by calling 1-800-843-5678.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
18 hours ago
- Miami Herald
4-year-old bear aggressively seeking food killed at Montana national park
A 4-year-old female bear started aggressively searching for food in a Montana national park, so it was killed, rangers said. The bear was euthanized June 5 in West Glacier in Glacier National Park, the National Park Service said in a news release obtained by McClatchy News. 'The bear consistently attempted to enter vehicles and buildings on private property inside the park,' park officials said in the release. It successfully got into one building and one vehicle, officials said. The same bear was captured in 2022 in Kalispell by wildlife officers and relocated to Puzzle Creek, officials said. But it didn't show signs of being food-conditioned until this June, so it was killed, officials said. Park officials said another bear and her cub got a 'food reward from an unattended backpack' June 7 in the park. The Going-to-the Sun Road, which is used by hikers and bikers, was then closed off. 'Wildlife rangers are attempting to discourage the bears bad behavior. If unsuccessful, the bears may have to be relocated or euthanized per the parks Bear Management Guidelines,' officials said. Park officials said a bear can become food-conditioned when it gets a 'human food reward,' which include food, trash, livestock feed and pet food. It can then become more aggressive and bold as it tries to find a human food source. It will need to be killed as hazing the animal will no longer work, park officials said. Glacier National Park visitors can do their part in stopping bears from becoming food-conditioned and comfortable around people, officials said, by: Always keeping your bag or backpack with you and away from bearsNever stopping near bear along a roadStaying 100 yards away from bears at all times The national park is in northwestern Montana. What to do if you see a bear Bear attacks in the U.S. are rare, according to the National Park Service. In most attacks, bears are trying to defend their food, cubs or space. There are steps people can take to help prevent a bear encounter from becoming a bear attack. Identify yourself: Talk calmly and slowly wave your arms. This can help the bear realize you're a human and nonthreatening. Stay calm: Bears usually don't want to attack; they want to be left alone. Talk slowly and with a low voice to the bear. Don't scream: Screaming could trigger an attack. Pick up small children: Don't let kids run away from the bear. It could think they're small prey. Hike in groups: A group is noisier and smellier, the National Park Service said. Bears like to keep their distance from groups of people. Make yourself look big: Move to higher ground and stand tall. Don't make any sudden movements. Don't drop your bag: A bag on your back can keep a bear from accessing food, and it can provide protection. Walk away slowly: Move sideways so you appear less threatening to the bear. This also lets you keep an eye out. Again, don't run: Bears will chase you, just like a dog would. Don't climb trees: Grizzlies and black bears can also climb.
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
Kids left alone in hot car that reached 104 degrees, GA cops say. Man charged
Two children were left alone in a sweltering car outside an Atlanta shopping mall, and now a man is charged, Georgia police said. The man was arrested on two counts of second-degree child cruelty in the June 4 incident at Cumberland Mall, authorities wrote in a criminal warrant obtained by McClatchy News. Attorney information for the man wasn't immediately available. Officers were called to the parking lot just before 1 p.m. after a witness spotted the youngsters in a car by themselves and called 911, WSB-TV reported, citing the Cobb County Sheriff's Office. Authorities said the kids were in the car with no air conditioning for at least 41 minutes. Temperatures in Atlanta reached 80 degrees that day, according to AccuWeather, and authorities said the car's internal temperature hit triple digits. 'An infrared thermometer displayed the temperature of 104 degrees where said victim was sitting in,' according to the affidavit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised that cracking a window isn't enough to stay cool in the warmer months, as 'temperatures inside the car can rise almost 20 degrees Fahrenheit within the first 10 minutes.' Authorities didn't give an update on the children's conditions or say if or how they're related to the man who was arrested. McClatchy News reached out to the Cobb County Sheriff's Office for more information June 10 and was awaiting a response. The man was taken to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center and released June 6 after posting an $11,220 bond, online records show.
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
Stepmom seen in shootout with 2-year-old in car during livestream, TN cops say
A dad said his 2-year-old daughter was seen in the back seat of a car during a shootout broadcast on Facebook Live, according to Tennessee police. The girl's 47-year-old stepmom is charged with child endangerment and reckless endangerment by discharging a firearm from within a motor vehicle, Shelby County court records show. McClatchy News is not identifying the woman to protect the identity of her stepdaughter. Officers with the Memphis Police Department responded to a call about a shooting at an apartment complex May 18 involving a white Ford Fusion and two men, according to an affidavit of complaint. Investigators spoke with a dad who said his child's stepmother 'was seen on Facebook Live with his daughter in the back seat, involved in a shootout,' police wrote in the report. The dad identified her as the wife of his children's mother, according to officers. He said she drove a white Ford Fusion, and her niece stayed at the apartment complex where the shooting happened, investigators said. Officers watched the Facebook Live, which they said showed the woman firing shots from her car with a child in the back seat as she was facing a volley of gunfire from someone else. Surveillance footage from the apartment complex showed a white Ford Fusion leave the complex, then a woman started running, police said. The Ford Fusion came back into view, and two men were seen firing shots at it, according to police. Records show the woman was booked in Shelby County jail June 4.
