DOVER — A history teacher at Strawberry Crest High School in Dover was arrested Wednesday after soliciting nude photographs online from an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old boy, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.
Anthony Michael Peace, 37, has worked as a history teacher at the school since July 2018 and is also the former wrestling coach.
According to Sheriff’s Office, Peace sent the first social media message to the undercover detective on March 29, intending to strike up a conversation with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old boy.
The detective was part of an undercover investigation targeting individuals seeking to have sex with minors, the Sheriff’s Office said. Throughout the course of his communications with Peace, the teacher solicited nude photos and sent explicit videos of himself, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Peace faces five counts of transmission of harmful material to a minor, one count of unlawful use of a two-way communications device, and one count of using computer services or devices to solicit illegal acts, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Investigators are working to determine if any others may have been victimized by Peace. Anyone with information can call the Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.
The Hillsborough County school district is moving to fire Peace, who was hired in 2006, and has counselors on hand to speak with students. According to the Sheriff’s office, Peace was at the high school when he was arrested on Wednesday.
“Our district is shocked and disgusted by these allegations,” the district said in a news release. “The safety of our students is our top priority.”