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HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Seven suspects have been arrested in connection with a online solicitation of a minor sting.

According to a release, the suspects were arrested in connection with a sting for online solicitation of a minor.

Officials said among the suspects was 47-year-old Michael Stevens, who is the Itasca ISD Superintendent, and a former coach, principal, and assistant principal in various districts around the state.

"You must make it a priority to know what your children are doing online," Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen said. "As you can see by this sting operation, there are dangerous predators out there grooming our children and can cause great harm."

Rosen said Stevens planned to come to Houston to engage in sexual acts with a person he thought was a 15-year-old female. He also sent life photos of himself to an undercover investigator.

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School official arrested in sting - Administrator tried to pay for sex

April 3, 2006

Spring resident Michael McWhirter, 57, was arrested at Theis Attaway Park in Tomball after striking up a conversation with a male undercover officer. McWhirter allegedly solicited sexual favors in exchange for a "small amount of money," according to TPD Sgt. Gary Hammond. The undercover officer was wearing a wire and the conversation was captured on audio tape, but Hammond would not reveal the amount of money McWhirter offered the undercover officer.

McWhirter was arrested at 3:12 p.m. March 15 and shortly after being booked at the department, a $500 bail was posted on his behalf. According to a TPD press release, McWhirter was charged with solicitation of prostitution, a Class B misdemeanor, and charges were accepted by the office of Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal. If convicted, McWhirter faces a maximum of six months in the county jail.

McWhirter resigned from the school district March 21 - four business days after being arrested - with a hand-written note addressed to "whom it may concern."

"I resign my position with the Tomball ISD effectively immediately," McWhirter wrote in the one-sentence resignation letter.

The letter, obtained by The Potpourri through the Texas Open Records Act, also includes Superintendent John Neubauer's signature with the word "approved" written on it, dated March 21.

TISD Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Huey Kinchen told The Potpourri on March 21 that Neubauer and McWhirter had "a conversation" March 19, and that the superintendent placed McWhirter on administrative leave on March 20. Also on March 20, Neubauer told TISD school board members an administrator was placed on administrative leave, but did not offer any more details at that time.

The Tomball Police Department wanted to keep the arrest under wraps while more sting operations were conducted at Theis Attaway Park last week. Based on a tip from an anonymous source received a week after the arrest occurred, The Potpourri began its investigation into McWhirter's arrest. The undercover sting was in response to a resident's complaint of illicit homosexual conduct at the park.

"Shortly before the operation took place, a concerned citizen directly contacted Chief of Police Michael Blake, advising him that she and her grandchildren enjoy spending time at the public park," a Tomball Police Department press release reads. "To her disappointment, when she and the children arrived at Theis Attaway Park, they observed several 'used' condoms in and around the bird watching shed located on the property. Acting on this information, a covert police investigation of the park revealed that possible sexual acts were being committed during the day by males frequenting the park."

Prior to his resignation, McWhirter had worked at the helm of three TISD schools and since 1999 served as the director of instructional resources in the TISD central administrative office. He drew a $89,350 annual salary, said Kit Pfeiffer, TISD Community Relations spokesperson.

Hired by TISD a little more than 23 years ago, McWhirter first worked as the principal at Decker Prairie Elementary School for nine years. He then briefly served as the district's director of math and science before his assignment as principal at Beckendorf Intermediate School from 1993 to 1995. The next school year, McWhirter took the helm of Tomball High School and served there until 1999, when he began serving as the district's instructional resources director.

"I don't think there is an official reason (he left the high school)," Pfeiffer said. "He just transferred to another position."

Pfeiffer said the district has no record of any prior accusations of sexual misconduct from students or colleagues concerning McWhirter. Meanwhile, the Tomball Police Department has pledged to continue its patrol of city parks.

"The City of Tomball will not condone this type of conduct to jeopardize the safety and tranquility of our family-oriented city parks," a TPD press release reads. "The Tomball Police Department will continue both covert and marked patrol investigations of our city parks on an ongoing basis to free our citizens and children from being exposed to this type of illicit behavior."

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Sethtevious said:

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I think there is a big difference between a guy soliciting a prostitute in person and a pedophile trolling for victims online.

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sanangelo said:

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Sethtevious said:

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I think there is a big difference between a guy soliciting a prostitute in person and a pedophile trolling for victims online.

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It's June. Wouldn't the latter Tomball incident be celebrated?

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Sethtevious said:

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I think there is a big difference between a guy soliciting a prostitute in person and a pedophile trolling for victims online.

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P.H. Dexippus said:

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Sethtevious said:

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I think there is a big difference between a guy soliciting a prostitute in person and a pedophile trolling for victims online.

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The undercover cop was posing as a minor, just like the online version today.

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ShaggySLC said:

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This is how they'd be sitting back in the day as these guys hung from a Texas oak tree

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CDUB98 said:

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Millstone, give it to him.

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