A principal at a Minnesota middle school has been arrested on suspicion of wanting to pay a minor for sex.
As part of a “coordinated statewide response aimed at ending human trafficking and exploitation,” the St. Louis Park Police Department has been working with other state agencies to put an end to human trafficking.
So far, the groups have arrested four men, and one of them is 38-year-old Mohamed Ali Selim, Eagle Ridge Middle School’s former principal. NBC News reports Selim was allegedly part of a prostitution sting that would post ads offering prostitution services that could be seen on several websites.
Before catching Selim, undercover cops disguised themselves online as a 15-year-old. While chatting with Selim, the former principal agreed to meet up with the cop and pay her for sex, according to the complaint. When the two met up, police arrested him right then and there.
NBC News reports a “distraught” Selim made remarks during his arrest, which included that his “life/career was over.” He’s been charged with felony prostitution and he’s now being “held in Hennepin County Jail pending charges, due to his position of authority working with children.”
