South Jersey school district employee accused of seeking sex with a student

Jim Walsh, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·2 min read
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PEMBERTON TWP. - A school district employee here is accused of trying to arrange a sexual encounter with a juvenile female student.

Christopher J. Perry, a 34-year-old information technology coordinator, came under investigation last month after he allegedly contacted the 15-year-old student through Snapchat, said the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

"The student’s parents notified school officials, who contacted police," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

It said an investigator continued the text exchange with the Pemberton Township resident, who believed he was still communicating with the girl.

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"During the text exchange, Perry described in detail the sexual acts he wanted to perform on the student," the statement said.

He arranged to meet the girl at a Browns Mills park on Friday, Aug. 25, but arrived to find law enforcement officers were waiting for him.

Perry had been seen a short time earlier buying condoms at a drug store, the statement said.

Anyone with information about Perry that might help investigators is asked to call the Pemberton Township Police Department’s tip line at 609-894-3352.

Prosecutor LaChia Bradshaw praised the girl's parents for reporting the alleged incident to school officials.

“It cannot be stressed enough how important it is for parents to be aware of what their children are doingonline," she said.

"This case strongly demonstrates how easy it is for the predators who prowl around cyberspace to quickly materialize in person as very real, very dangerous threats," the prosecutor added.

Perry, a Piute Trail resident, is charged with attempted sexual assault and enticing a minor, attempted criminal sexual contact, and endangering the welfare of a child.

The charges are only allegations. Perry has not been convicted in the case.

He was being held in Burlington County Jail, pending a court appearance.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Pemberton Township school district employee faces criminal charge