HERNANDO, FLORIDA: An 83-year-old substitute teacher at an elementary school in Florida was detained after being accused of molesting six children. Wolfgang Sprenger had been a teacher at Hernando Elementary School since October 2022.
The incident came to light after school employees informed the Citrus County Sheriff's Office about what had transpired, according to Fox13 News. The Citrus County School Board promptly fired Sprenger from his position as substitute teacher while the sheriff's office launched an inquiry.
According to the reports, the detectives spoke to the children who accused Sprenger of molesting them and the children who witnessed what had happened. He reportedly molested six children in the school. He has been charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child under the age of 12, four counts of lewd and lascivious behavior, and one count of promoting the delinquency of a minor, per WTSP.
Background check yielded nothing
Sprenger has been detained at the Citrus County Correctional Center without bond. Sheriff Mike Prendergast said, "This case exposes how a predator can and will work themselves into a position of trust to gain access to children," adding, "Sprenger violated the trust of the children he was supposed to teach and the trust our community placed in him. A classroom is supposed to be a nurturing and safe environment, not a playground for a predator like Sprenger. I hope this arrest will be the starting point on a journey of healing for his victims."
Before being hired on October 12, 2022, Sprenger reportedly underwent a background check and drug test, according to the school board. The school board reported that their investigation yielded nothing, as per the New York Post.
School issues statement
The school has issued a statement as well. It read, "We want to assure our community that the Citrus County School District has robust policies and procedures in place to safeguard our students and ensure that our staff members are held to the highest standards of professional conduct."
The statement further added, "We take the safety of our students very seriously and assure you that we are taking every measure to ensure that all our schools are safe and secure learning environments."
