A former ninth-grade biology teacher at Coppell High School is accused of online solicitation of a minor, officials say.
The incident did not involve any current students at Coppell High School, according to authorities.
Detectives say 26-year-old Steven Rhea Hart used two different apps to talk to who he thought was a male 10th-grade student.
On Oct. 15, 2019, the human trafficking unit with the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office conducted an undercover operation.
During the operation, undercover investigators posed as children under the age of 17 and started talking with people using various chat rooms and social media apps, officials said.
That same day, an undercover officer pretended to be a 15-year-old boy while using the app Grindr, records show.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the officer received a message from a profile user named “Hello” who was listed as being 26 years old. Detectives say evidence later linked this profile back to Hart.
The officer and Hart starting messaging on Grindr. According to court documents, Hart asked the person how he was doing and said, “You’re really cute.”
The undercover officer responded and then asked Hart where works at.
The following conversation was listed in an arrest warrant affidavit:
Hart: “I’m a high school teacher lol."
Undercover officer: “Oh ya? Well, I”m a high school student.”
Hart: “Ohhh what grade?”
Undercover officer: “10th.”
Hart: “Ohhh I teach 9th.”
At that point, detectives say Hart asked for photos from the undercover officer. The officer sent Hart a selfie photo he had authorized to use for the operation, according to the affidavit.
The conversion then continued between the two:
Hart: “Cute. What are you looking for on here?”
Undercover officer: “U know bn (being) 15 is tough so just trying to figure it all out.”
Hart then mentioned how he was 10 years older than the teen, documents state.
As the conversation evolved, the officer asked Hart what he would want to do if they met up.
Hart allegedly responded, “Whatever you want. Lol. I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to. We can just hang out and play video games. Or we can do other things lol," the arrest warrant affidavit says.
At that point, the conversation involved explicit messages, where Hart told the “teen,” he would teach him how to perform sexual acts and talked about the size of his penis.
The undercover officer says Hart sent nude photos and asked the teen for a photo.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Hart then tried getting the “teen” to use Snapchat or Skype. Instead, the conversion moved to an app called Kik, on the app Hart went by the name “SadSteven."
On Nov. 28, the officer received another message on Kik from SadSteven, that said, “Do you still wanna get [expletive] by a high school teacher?”
The two began messaging again, and Hart asked the teen for nude photos. The officer responded “I don’t send nudes lol," according to the affidavit.
Hart allegedly sent two more messages on Kik on Dec. 3 and Dec. 26.
Then on Feb. 22, Hart messaged the teen on Kik, asking again what grade he was in, and then began to tell the teen sexual acts he would like to do with him, authorities say.
Hart sent the teen two selfie photos, which later matched Hart’s driver's license photo.
At one point in the conversation, Hart told the undercover officer it would be risky to meet up.
According to court documents, Hart said, “I want to meet you but I also like not being in jail,” the undercover officer responded, “It’s OK I understand,” and that’s when Hart said, “We’re going to have sex sooner or later,” the affidavit states.
On Feb. 26, the undercover officer submitted an administrative subpoena to Kik for the user “SadSteven.” The data linked the account back to Hart, according to police documents.
Anyone with additional information about the case is asked to call Tarrant County Det. Kaether at 817-884-1275.
Coppell Independent School District sent a letter to staff and parents and posted a statement on its website.
On March 4, 2020, Coppell ISD notified parents and employees (link to letter) that Steven Hart from the Coppell High School Ninth Grade Campus (CHS9) had resigned from CISD shortly before being arrested for alleged online solicitation of a minor by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office. According to the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office, this alleged incident does not involve a Coppell ISD student. He worked for the district from 2016 until his resignation March 4, 2020.
This former employee is no longer allowed at CHS9 or any Coppell Independent School District campus or facility. The District also has reported this alleged incident to the State Board of Educator Certification, as required by law and District Policy.
Employee privacy laws prohibit us from releasing additional details about this situation.
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