Teacher charged with traveling from Indiana to Kentucky for sex with teenage girl
An Indiana teacher has been charged with traveling to Kentucky to have sex with a teenage girl.
A federal grand indicted Cody Sean McCormick Wednesday on charges of traveling across a state line to have illegal sexual contact with someone he believed to be a 15-year-old girl; attempted enticement of a minor; and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.
McCormick, 27, is a high-school teacher in Evansville, according to a court record.
The case started when McCormick responded to a post from an undercover police officer on a social-media site, according to an affidavit from Bo Alexander, a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service.
The undercover officer posed as a teenage girl.
McCormick asked the person about her sexual history and discussed engaging in sex with her, according to the affidavit.
In one exchange, McCormick said he would keep the girl company but said he was concerned that it “sounds a little risky and probably a little illegal,” Alexander said in the statement.
However, McCormick kept communicating with the officer and sent images of marijuana and sex toys, according to the affidavit.
McCormick later sent the undercover officer a message from another account and username.
When the officer sent back a message pretending to be a 14-year-old girl, McCormick responded “Way too young. Sorry and with this app you’re probably law enforcement so have a great evening officers,” according to the affidavit.
Still, when the officer said he wasn’t in law enforcement and indicated he would end the conversation, McCormick responded with a peace sign emoji and texted “What’s your name then if it isn’t officer? Lol.”
McCormick then sent an explicit photo. When an undercover female police officer called McCormick later, he arranged to come to Owensboro to meet her, according to the agent’s statement.
Police arrested him when he arrived.
The investigation was part of a federal, state and local effort called Operation Angel focused on making federal cases against sexual predators in the Owensboro area, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett.
In addition to the Secret Service, Kentucky State Police, the state Attorney General’s Office and Owensboro police took part in the case.
If convicted, McCormick could face up to 30 years in prison on the charge of traveling across state lines to engage in illegal sexual conduct with a minor.
This story was originally published November 10, 2022 at 12:34 PM.
