GLASTONBURY, Conn — Police arrested a man who works as a janitor in the Thompson school system on charges of enticing a minor and risk of injury to a minor after they said he engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with a Glastonbury Police officer posing as a 15-year-old girl.
Phillip Therrien, 56, of North Grosvenordale, was charged with enticing a minor and risk of injury to a minor on Friday. His bail was set at $200,000 and he is scheduled to appear in court on June 21.
Police said the Glastonbury officer posing as a teen wrote in a chatroom if anyone was from Connecticut. Allegedly Therrien started talking and, over several weeks, became increasingly more explicit, describing sex acts and taking photographs of their activities.
The suspect planned to meet up with the supposed teen on April 21, but that meeting never occurred.
Police investigated a phone number exchanged during the chats and arrested Therrien.
Superintendent of Schools Melinda Smith released a statement following Therrien's arrest:
It has come to my attention that a Thompson Public Schools employee has been arrested on charges of criminal attempt to commit risk or injury to a minor and criminal attempt to commit enticing a minor by computer. The charges were the result of an undercover investigation by the Glastonbury Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
As a result of their investigative efforts, officers obtained an arrest warrant after the employee engaged in online communications with an individual, this person believed to be a fifteen-year-old female.
Due to these charges, the employee has been placed on unpaid leave and is prohibited from entering school grounds at any time. The members of the district's security team have been alerted to this situation and are continuously monitoring safety and security on our campus.
I am providing you with this information today to keep you abreast of this most unsettling news. I want to ensure you that the district will always take swift action to protect the safety of our students, faculty, and staff.
Since this is a personnel matter, I am not at liberty at this time to elaborate on this case or share more details.
Doug Stewart is the Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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