JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A maintenance employee for Duval County Public Schools was arrested Friday “on charges related to solicitation of a minor,” according to a message sent to the district’s families on Monday.
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According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office online Inmate Information Search, Kevin Bryan Pearce, 57, is facing charges that include:
- Solicitation of a child via computer to engage in sexual conduct
- Travel to meet after using a computer to seduce/solicit/lure a child
- Transmission of material harmful to minor/s
- Unlawful use of two-way communication device
- Coerce commercial sexual activity of an adult for human trafficking
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DCPS said Pearce was hired in December 2017 and in addition to the criminal investigation, “the district is conducting a professional standards investigation,” the district said in the news release.
The district called Pearce’s arrest “very disappointing news.”
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DCPS while “the presumption of innocence applies,” if or when Pearce is released from jail, he “will be assigned a role with no student contact pending the outcome of both the criminal and district investigations.”
After sending its initial message to families, DCPS shared this information about Pearce’s work site in the district: “To clarify, this employee did not report to a specific school. Rather, this individual served as a carpenter who fulfilled work orders at schools as needed throughout the district. For this reason, we shared this message with all Team Duval families.”
Online records show that Pearce is still in jail being held on a more than $400,000 bond. His next court date is set for May 20.
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