Court documents are revealing the disturbing methods a former Westminster Public Schools bus driver used to try to lure kids for sex online.
Phillip Ogren, 66, was arrested earlier this week in connection with an Internet sex crimes investigation.
An agent with the Department of Homeland Security posed as a 14-year-old boy and responded to an ad soliciting sex on Craigslist. The ad included graphic language and a photo, according to court documents.
In a series of text messages, Ogren talks about showering together and performing sex acts on the boy. The agent and Ogren discussed also their ages. Court documents show Ogren replied, "Yes I do like young men." He also thought the boy was a virgin.
"When a kid has the ability to have a cell phone and have access to the Internet with no restrictions, no controls by parents, they’re at risk -- every single kid is at risk," said Rod Witte with the Tennyson Center for Children.
Homeland Security was involved as part of Operation Predator, an effort to stop child exploitation. The agent posing as the teen arranged a meeting at the park, and when Ogren showed up, police arrested him.
"They will identify an individual that is interested in various aspects of child exploitation and are able to eventually draw upon that and ultimately make an arrest," said Carl Rusnok, communications director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Ogren was hired by the Westminster School District in December of 2014. A district spokesperson said he passed all required background and safety checks when he was hired. He is no longer employed by the district.
"At this point, there is no indication that any of our children are involved or have been victimized," a spokesperson for the district said in a statement sent to Denver7. "The safety of our students is our highest priority and we take these allegations very seriously. We are fully cooperating with investigators," the spokesperson said.
Ogren bonded out of the Weld County Jail sometime on Wednesday, a day after he was arrested.
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