BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A retired teacher who lives in Depew was arrested and charged for allegedly enticing a minor and possessing child pornography.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York, 70-year-old Richard Scherer allegedly made contact with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl via Instagram to meet her at a store on Amherst Street in Buffalo, after exchanging messages that were sexual in nature.
The "13-year-old girl" was actually a member of the group Predatory Poacher which maintains several online accounts that purport to be minors of various ages, using the accounts to chat with adults who later meet for sexual contact.
When Scherer was meeting the "girl" he was then approached by members of Predatory Poacher where he was interviewed for roughly an hour and allegedly admitted to being a pedophile.
Buffalo police then were called.
Scherer taught in Maryland for approximately 25 years, and a report obtained from the school system during the investigation stated, "on June 13, 2011, the parent of a 4th grade student, [redacted by MCPS], came to the school and made a report to an assistant principal about some concerns she had regarding possible inappropriate behavior by Mr. Scherer while interacting with students.”
Scherer then resigned after notice of allegations of misconduct involving a student.
A search of Scherer's cell phone allegedly found two images of child pornography.
If convicted, Scherer faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a $250,000 fine.
If you have any information, you're asked to call the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (716) 843-1680.
