Former St. Joseph School District Teacher Charged With Child Enticement

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — A 58-year-old St. Joseph man and former St. Joseph School District teacher is in custody after being accused of communicating sexually with someone he believed was a 16-year-old and arranging to meet the underage person.

According to a probable cause statement, Duane E. Parrott communicated online with an individual who told Parrott they were 16 years old.

Investigators allege Parrott continued the conversation after learning the person’s stated age and engaged in sexually explicit discussions. The probable cause statement alleges he asked questions about sexual activity and intimate body parts and requested that the individual perform sexual acts.

Authorities say Parrott later went to an agreed-upon meeting location. According to the probable cause statement, Parrott allegedly arrived with the understanding that he would take the individual back to his home, where sexual activity was expected to occur.

During an interview with investigators, Parrott allegedly acknowledged that he had gone “down the wrong path again,” according to the probable cause statement. Authorities said he also referenced a similar incident from several years earlier and acknowledged that the person he had been communicating with was underage.

Parrott is being held in the Buchanan County Jail.

He is scheduled to make an initial court appearance at 8:15 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, before Judge Rebecca Spencer.

The allegations contained in a probable cause statement are accusations.

Parrott is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.