What did Daniel Erickson do? New York school principal arrested over attempting to entice 16-year-old student on Snapchat 

Daniel Erickson, a 55-year-old New York middle school principal, was arrested on Friday, July 7. He was masquerading as a young adult to ensnare a 16-year-old student on social media with the purpose of engaging in s*xual activity.

Johnson City Middle School Principal Daniel Erickson was accused of using Snapchat to lure an underage girl to a remote location to engage in s*xual conduct, the Broome County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Authorities, who were made aware of the situation on Wednesday, July 5, said that Erickson had been in communication with the teen for at least a week before he was taken into custody on Friday.

Erickson was arrested after he showed up at the remote location with a box of condoms, a Grimace milkshake from Mcdonald's, and chicken nuggets for his illicit assignation with the teenager.

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Daniel Erickson posed as a young adult before revealing his true identity to the teenage girl

Daniel Erickson (Image via Morbid Knowledge/Twitter)

Authorities said that Daniel Erickson, who was allegedly communicating with the teen for at least a week before his arrest, initially posed as a young adult to engage with the studentcon Snapchat.

Shortly after, he reportedly revealed his true identity using the school district database information to convince the teen who he was. Officials said that in the ensuing days leading up to his arrest on Friday, Erickson made multiple attempts to meet with the teenager, even showing up at her house. However, the girl reportedly never came out to meet him.

Two days later, Ericson allegedly convinced the girl to meet him at the remote location. Authorities said that they were lying in wait at the isolated spot where the school principal planned to meet the teen.

Authorities took him in custody, shortly after Erickson showed up at the remote location.

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Following the school principal’s arrest, in a statement, Sheriff Fred Akshar commented on the depravity of the situation where school employees entrusted with the well-being of children were instead caught exploiting them.

“As a father, I know this is a nightmare scenario for any parent. We entrust our schools with the care and safety of our children, and to have an individual violate that trust, abuse their power and prey on a very student charged in our schools’ care is beyond disgusting.”

Akshar also thanked the school district for their assistance in the investigation. According to Johnson City Central School District Superintendent Eric Race, Erickson was placed on administrative leave. In a statement cited by Fox News, Race said:

"The district is taking all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of our students, staff and the public. We understand the extreme, unfortunate and negative impacts Mr Erickson's alleged actions are causing problems for our school district, our students, our parents, and our community."

Daniel Erickson, who was remanded to the Broome County Correctional Facility without bail, was charged Friday with luring a child and attempted r*pe.