Delaware high school teacher caught in child predator sting

A Smyrna High School teacher is accused of soliciting sex online from what he thought was a teenage girl.

Joshua Rutherford of Camden-Wyoming was arrested on March 10 after he was trying to arrange a meeting at a Dover park through who he thought was the father of an underage girl. Rutherford was actually communicating with undercover investigators working with Delaware’s Child Predator Task Force.

During the course of his online communication, the state Dept. of Justice accused Rutherford of asking for nude pictures of the teen girl and expressed his interest in meeting the man’s daughter for sex.

Police executed search warrants at Rutherford’s home and vehicle, seizing a laptop computer, an external hard drive and other related devices. DOJ officials say more charges are possible based on their investigation of those items.

Rutherford was working as a teacher at Smyrna High School at the time of his arrest. According to his Facebook page profile, he was also an assistant football coach at the high school. Rutherford had also worked as a football coach at Wesley College in Dover.

Rutherford faces charges including Sexual Solicitation of a Child under 18 and Attempted Dealing in Child Pornography. He is being held on $50,000 secured bail.