Trinity Oaks Elementary teacher arrested in sex chat case

NEW PORT RICHEY — Joel Cupp came to orientation at Trinity Oaks Elementary School on Wednesday to meet his new students and their parents ahead of the school year.

A day later, authorities arrested the 29-year-old teacher on charges he tried to solicit kids for sex over the Internet.

Cupp, of 5848 Thrush Drive, engaged in sexually graphic chats and exposed himself on a Web cam multiple times, all while thinking he was chatting online with young teenage girls, according to the Florida Attorney General's Office.

Posing as a child, an undercover detective with the office's CyberCrime Unit began chatting with Cupp this summer. The office soon discovered an overlapping investigation by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office — authorities say Cupp was engaging in explicit chats with Citrus investigators, too.

The agencies teamed up and on Thursday, with help from New Port Richey police, investigators searched Cupp's home, seized his computer and arrested him.

"He made a full admission to the acts," said Lt. Michael Baute, with the Florida Attorney General's Office.

Baute said he hopes a forensic investigation of Cupp's computer will reveal how long he was engaging in the criminal activity and whether he made contact with any actual kids.

At this point, Baute said, authorities don't know of any children, including any Trinity Oaks students, contacted for sex by Cupp. He would not say what else turned up in the search of Cupp's house.

Trinity Oaks principal Allison Hoskins learned of the investigation Thursday. She said the news was sad and shocking, especially considering the caliber of teacher Cupp had been.

"He had a great personality, and he worked well with students," Hoskins said. "I liked him."

He resigned Thursday. He had been at Trinity Oaks, where he taught third-, fourth- and fifth-graders for two years. Before that he taught at Chasco Elementary in Port Richey.

Pasco County school superintendent Heather Fiorentino said the school district will send a team of crisis counselors to Trinity Oaks on Monday, the first day of school, to help any students struggling with the news.

"There are a lot of questions to be asked right now. … It's a very confusing time for everyone," Fiorentino said.

Cupp is single with no children, authorities said. His profile on the social networking site Facebook depicts a deeply religious person with interests in pop culture, sports and the outdoors.

On a separate blog, titled Joel's Journeys, Cupp quotes the Bible and describes events in his life through the prism of his faith. In June, he wrote of a busy end to the last school year, saying he had bought a house, found a girlfriend and was missing his students — his "kiddos."

"God is good though, so so good! He has blessed me beyond what I can even fathom," Cupp wrote.

Cupp, who was being booked into the Pasco County jail Thursday evening, faces three counts of luring or soliciting children to engage in a sex act and a single count of lewd or lascivious exhibition. Those charges are for his chats with the Citrus investigators, officials say. More charges are pending from the state investigation.

If convicted of the third-degree felonies now charged, Cupp faces up to 20 years in prison. He has no previous arrests in Florida.

Times staff writer Jeffrey S. Solochek and researcher Shirl Kennedy contributed to this report. Molly Moorhead can be reached at moorhead@sptimes.com or (727) 869-6245.

Comments on this article

by Entrapment	Aug 19, 2008 1:50 PM
No underage girl = no crime. Don't police have anything better to do? Kinda sad if you think about...grown men pretending to be little girls online, watching other men. Do they use gay cops for this type of job?

by Dave	Aug 18, 2008 4:53 PM
I sure hope none of the readers vices become public. Apperently only bad people do bad things. Everyone who knows him says he's a great guy.He has committed a grotesque act and HE WAS WRONG. He will and SHOULD spend the rest of life paying for it.

by Mike	Aug 18, 2008 12:44 PM
20 years for chatting are you serious??? They probably entrapped this guy. You really shouldnt judge unless you know all the facts.

by Another Toes Mom	Aug 18, 2008 12:42 PM
In response to 8/17 7:04PM~ No, my 9yr old does not read the paper or watch the news.My 9yr old is an honor student and is very educated when it comes to current events. I believe there is a way to educate w/out all of the details.Let kids be kids.

by Anonymous	Aug 17, 2008 10:05 PM
They get paid quite well for 8 months of work; it is called a civil service job. You get paid a little less but you have tenure. This has nothing to do with pay. It is a fallen world and all fall short. Praise God for grace. We are human and slip on

by Beau	Aug 17, 2008 9:58 PM
I agree with Lynn-If you have any of these urges, please seek help before you ruin someone's life.This is a sickness-some people think it-some act on it.You who sins not-cast the 1st stone!

by Tami	Aug 17, 2008 9:57 PM
Religion has nothing to do with this.We are ALL sinners,some are just saved by grace.Florida is not the only place this happens.Background checks are done.Parents need to supervise their kids-especially on the web-as well as educate them and talking.

by S.

Aug 17, 2008 9:44 PM

Pasco County, Florida, anything having to do with our schools' locations have to do with anything. Have we had poor luck that our children's schools have these sorts of people? Sure. But if they weren't here, they could be anywhere. Don't blame Florida, or Pasco. Blame the perverted minds that all seem to flock to be employed by the Pasco County school system, who as of print, are not able to read minds during interviews yet.

by fj	Aug 17, 2008 9:31 PM
This is exactly why I don't go to church!!

by 727guy	Aug 17, 2008 9:25 PM
To everyone acting shocked at the idea that there is no link between religion and sexual abuse, google 'catholic church sexual abuse'. 4392 cases in the U.S. alone. No pattern there, I guess.

by KC	Aug 17, 2008 8:27 PM
In the 1960s, church leaders told kids "obey God no matter what people say & read the Bible so you'll know what God wants". Now they say "obey leaders no matter what &leaders will tell tell you want the Bible says". Perfect environment for pedophiles

by Kimberly	Aug 17, 2008 8:27 PM
Kids need to be told about reality by parents so parents can help them learn to deal w/ it. Tell them what they need based on their ages, but they don't need all details. Supervise kids too young to be told.

by Kimberly	Aug 17, 2008 8:27 PM
Yes police might dangle the worm to catch perverts, but people don't have to bite. You should see the porno spam that's sent to me by unknown sources. I delete without reading. Joel Cupp could have deleted, too.

by Will	Aug 17, 2008 8:26 PM
Eric, Joe in st pete, Mark and whoa: give it a rest. I am a committed Christian, I am NOT aa pedophile and I am personally insulted by your bigoted attack on religion.

by Buck	Aug 17, 2008 8:26 PM
Jay, The proper wording is: You "raise" animals; you "rear" children. Now, this "teacher" needs to be staked out, naked, over a fire ant bed, have honey poured on him and left to die in the hot Sun.

by cia	Aug 17, 2008 8:23 PM
Any and all of the children need to be told of this, it's REALITY, like it or not. Where is his picture?

by Kathy	Aug 17, 2008 8:14 PM
As a teacher myself, I am disgusted at his behavior. He should rot in prison and not be given early release. How dare he bring such shame to MY profession? I work hard and it is people like him who give teachers a bum rap. Throw the book at him!

by Kathy	Aug 17, 2008 8:14 PM
Once again, a teacher goes awry. How sad that he felt the need to do this; not only does he bring shame to himself, but to the entire profession. Knowing the teachers of the school as I do, they will pull together and do the best for the kids.

by Robert	Aug 17, 2008 8:07 PM
As we will soon find out there will be more victims if he had been at the school for 2 years he was probably ablke to groom a few kids for his perverted pleasure and will now be sent to prison to meet jail house Justice

by No Way	Aug 17, 2008 8:07 PM
I'm so glad I left teaching.

by TOES mom	Aug 17, 2008 8:05 PM
I would just like to clarify that I told my child that Mr.Cupp was arrested for inapropriate behavior over the internet with what he thought was teen girls. I did this because I would rather my child hear it from me than at school.

by Er	Aug 17, 2008 7:57 PM
"I never got any sort of an odd vibe from him" Usual case with these types, also serial killers, etc. "To even SAY he's religious is a slap in the face of God." Shows religious and nons are basically the same-some good some bad. ref: BTK killer

by Will	Aug 17, 2008 7:28 PM
Joe in st pete and Whoa: Think about it...David Lee Onstott, John Couey, Victor Salva, Aaron Mohanlal. Were these "committed Christians" or "deeply religious"? Your bias and prejudice are apparent. Look beyond your hatred (or fear)of Christians.

by TOES Dad	Aug 17, 2008 7:28 PM
I disagree with "Another TOES Mom". My daughter is 10 and my wife and I explained to her exactly what happened. If you keep your child in the dark they will not know how to handle themselves God forbid they are approached by a pedophile.

by Renee	Aug 17, 2008 7:21 PM
It is great to see that our police department is engaged in these types of investigations. GREAT JOB NEW PORT RICHEY POLICE!!

by TOES mom	Aug 17, 2008 7:04 PM
I chose to explain the whole story to my 10 year old, not so SHE can educate everyone else, but so SHE can be aware!! Does your child read the newspaper? Mine does. Educate your child in reality. Do they want to hear it on the playground or at home?

by John	Aug 17, 2008 7:03 PM
Just think, there are as many if not more PARENTS messing around with children.

by Jay	Aug 16, 2008 3:18 PM
If I ever have kids I will move out of this state. It is a horrible place to raise children.

by Eric	Aug 16, 2008 3:16 PM
Religion is the excuse of the scoundrel. All of these repressed morons are allowing themselves to become the end result of a deep "faith." You can't hide who you really are behind a wall of superstition. I don't blame this guy....I blame Jesus!

by Community Activist	Aug 16, 2008 3:14 PM
It's in ongoing problem in Florida because this state has become the damn capitol for sex offenders and predators, these fools are getting slapped on the wrist for bothering with our children, don't worry something is goning be done about.

by Community Activist	Aug 16, 2008 3:14 PM
We all need to come together to find a better way for the school system to do background checks instead of this 50 mess......if i see 1 more teacher on the news for bothering with somebody's child again im gone' SNAP!

by Another TOES Mom	Aug 16, 2008 3:09 PM
For those of us from TOES, if we could stick together and tell our children this teacher made a mistake and broke the law-and just leave it at that-we may not have all these children educating others with the WHOLE story.

by Mom of 2	Aug 16, 2008 2:58 PM
Amen, MS! That's the smartest comment on this article!

by Karl	Aug 16, 2008 2:58 PM
Don't tell your 10 year old the story. Come on' he may have held this teacher to be an icon and you just ruined it. It is people like you who scar these children.

by Jane	Aug 15, 2008 11:51 AM
Deeply religious; red flag? What an ignorant statement. There are plenty of non religious people committing the same acts. It's unfortunate the media capitalizes on such details to make an impact on the story and idiot readers fall for it.