Principal Allegedly Attempted to Rape Student by Luring Her With a Grimace Shake: Sheriff

A middle school principal in New York is behind bars after authorities say he attempted to rape a 16-year-old student.

Daniel Erickson, 55, is charged with luring a child and attempted rape after he allegedly made plans to meet up with a teenager on July 7 in a remote area with the aim of sexually assaulting the minor, according to the Broome County Sheriff's Office.

"Mr. Erickson brought with him a Grimace shake from McDonald's, chicken nuggets, and a box of condoms," Sheriff Fred Akshar said at a press conference.

The victim, who currently attends the local high school, had been a student at the middle school where Erickson serves as principal during his tenure, according to Sheriff Akshar. 

The exchanges between Erickson and the minor "had been taking place for at least one week prior to his arrest and during that time frame, Erickson had made multiple attempts to meet with her, including going to her home," claims a release from the BCSO obtained by Inside Edition Digital.

That release also alleges that Erickson first contacted the minor by "posing as a younger adult" on Snapchat, and then over the next few days "using his position as the Johnson City Middle School Principal and school district database information to convince the 16-year-old girl who he really was."

Eric Race, the superintendent of the Johnson City School District, tells Inside Edition Digital that officials learned about Erickson's alleged actions on July 5 and immediately notified the sheriff. In turn detectives were able to make an arrest 36 hours later, waiting for Erickson when he arrived to allegedly meet with the minor.

Sheriff Akshar noted that at no point was the minor victim in danger or with Erickson in the time between authorities learning about the allegations and making an arrest.

Erickson had been employed by the school district for 24 years and served in his current role as principal at Johnston City Middle School for seven years according to Race. There are just over 500 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students at that school.

He is now being held without bail at the Broome County Correctional Facility. Erickson is also on administrative leave and banned from entering school grounds as the investigation into these allegations is ongoing. 

When asked if this had been a one-off incident or if there might be other victims, Sheriff Akshar said: "I mean, sadly, by all accounts, this particular incident ...based on the investigation, the actions of Mr. Erickson come as a surprise."

The Broome County Sheriff's Office claims that this could have been much worse had the school not been informed of Erickson's alleged actions.

Public records obtained by Inside Edition Digital show that Erickson is married and has two sons, ages 21 and 24, from a previous marriage.

Erickson is currently charged with luring a child, which is a class E felony and attempted rape in the 3rd degree, a class A misdemeanor.  It is unknown if he has legal representation and he has yet to enter a plea in the case.

If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison on the felony charge of luring a child and 364 days in prison on the attempted rape charge.

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