21-year-old man tries enrolling at out-of-state high school to date student, cops say

A 21-year-old man from Tennessee tried enrolling at a Michigan high school to date a student, authorities say.

The man, from Fort Campbell, was arrested at Mason County Central School on Tuesday, Feb. 13, according to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan. He faces preliminary charges of possession of child sexually abusive material, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and furnishing false information to a law enforcement officer.

The sheriff’s office said a worker at the school “became suspicious” when the unidentified man attempted to enroll himself as a 17-year-old student.

An investigation revealed the man had met a student at the school online and was attempting to enroll so he could “engage in a relationship with that student,” the sheriff’s office said.

He is accused of flying to Grand Rapids and meeting the teenage victim.

“Sadly, situations like this are playing out every day, where adults are preying upon our children,” Sheriff Kim Cole said in a news release. “Once again, I would strongly encourage parents to have conversations with their children about the dangers of online chatting and the sharing of information over the internet or social media platforms.

Fort Campbell is more than 500 miles southwest of Mason.