Print
E-mail
Comment
Former Magnolia High School color guard instructor surrenders
By TANA ROSS
The former color guard instructor at Magnolia High School, Joe Wayne Gilberth, surrendered to authorities in Austin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18. Gilberth was being sought on a warrant out of Travis County for soliciting sex from a minor. He was released on a $30,000 bond issued by Associate Judge Kenneth J. Vitucci of the Austin Municipal Court. If convicted, Gilbreth could face a punishment term of two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
Detective Joe Pridgeon of the Austin Police Department Child Exploitation Unit said Gilbreth admitted soliciting sex from a minor on Facebook, an online social network.
“He admitted to it in an interview,” the Austin detective said.
Pridgeon said the case began in October when the parents of the minor, a student at Westwood High School, came forward. Gilbreth was a color guard instructor at the Round Rock ISD high school from the fall of 2004 until the spring of 2007, when he came to Magnolia ISD.
Pridgeon came to Magnolia on Wednesday, Dec. 10 to find and interview Gilbreth. He was successful in doing both and said this was due to the help he received from the Montgomery County Pct. 5 Constable David Hill’s office.
According to MISD, Gilbreth’s term of employment with MISD ended Dec. 11 just one day after his interview with Pridgeon. According to Michael Daniel, director of Magnolia ISD Human Resources, Gilbreth was an instructional aid at MHS for the color guard which is under the supervision of Dennis Boucher, the MHS Band director. Bousher who is in his first year with MISD said was surprised to hear the news.
“I did not know anything about this until I came to work and some students told me,” he said. “I never had a clue he would do something like this.”
Pridgeon said he expects more victims of Gilbreth’s to be found once Facebook releases the Internet Protocals or destination addresses that he used.
“There is a good possibility there will be victims in the Magnolia area,” the detective said.
To stop this type of crime, Pridgeon warned parents to be thorough.
“I can’t stress it enough that it takes diligence on parents’ part,” he said. “And they should not just focus on one thing; they should check their kids’ e-mails, chat rooms and even video games.”
Pridgeon asked that anyone believing their child has had inappropriate contact with Gilbreth, whether online or off, to call the local police and report the incident.
A photo of Gilbreth was not available at press time, Friday, Dec. 26. Check, TheMagnoliaPotpourri.com for future updates and a photo related to this report.
Detective Joe Pridgeon of the Austin Police Department Child Exploitation Unit said Gilbreth admitted soliciting sex from a minor on Facebook, an online social network.
“He admitted to it in an interview,” the Austin detective said.
Pridgeon said the case began in October when the parents of the minor, a student at Westwood High School, came forward. Gilbreth was a color guard instructor at the Round Rock ISD high school from the fall of 2004 until the spring of 2007, when he came to Magnolia ISD.
Pridgeon came to Magnolia on Wednesday, Dec. 10 to find and interview Gilbreth. He was successful in doing both and said this was due to the help he received from the Montgomery County Pct. 5 Constable David Hill’s office.
According to MISD, Gilbreth’s term of employment with MISD ended Dec. 11 just one day after his interview with Pridgeon. According to Michael Daniel, director of Magnolia ISD Human Resources, Gilbreth was an instructional aid at MHS for the color guard which is under the supervision of Dennis Boucher, the MHS Band director. Bousher who is in his first year with MISD said was surprised to hear the news.
“I did not know anything about this until I came to work and some students told me,” he said. “I never had a clue he would do something like this.”
Pridgeon said he expects more victims of Gilbreth’s to be found once Facebook releases the Internet Protocals or destination addresses that he used.
“There is a good possibility there will be victims in the Magnolia area,” the detective said.
To stop this type of crime, Pridgeon warned parents to be thorough.
“I can’t stress it enough that it takes diligence on parents’ part,” he said. “And they should not just focus on one thing; they should check their kids’ e-mails, chat rooms and even video games.”
Pridgeon asked that anyone believing their child has had inappropriate contact with Gilbreth, whether online or off, to call the local police and report the incident.
A photo of Gilbreth was not available at press time, Friday, Dec. 26. Check, TheMagnoliaPotpourri.com for future updates and a photo related to this report.
Submit a Comment
|
You must be logged in to post a comment.
|
Not yet a registered member?
Click here to become one. Comments to stories and articles on the Web site are not edited or pre-approved before appearing online. Readers posting comments are solely responsible for those comments. Comments must be germane to the story to which they apply. Online comments that are libelous, profane or personally attack another site participant can be reported as abuse using the link provided on each comment. Comments reported as abusive will be reviewed and may be removed from view, as will off-topic comments. BE CIVIL. Individuals continually posting abusive comments to the site may have their registrations revoked. |
