Former Kentucky principal to plead guilty to sex abuse charges
A former McCreary County high school principal is expected to plead guilty to federal sex abuse charges after prosecutors say he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a minor.
Aaron D. Anderson, a former assistant principal at McCreary Central High School, will plead guilty Friday to one count of online sexual enticement of a minor at a hearing Friday, according to court documents.
Anderson was accused of having in illegal relationship with a girl 16 or younger that lasted from August 2023 until at least Valentine’s Day 2024. Anderson and the girl communicated daily through Microsoft Teams on a school-issued Chromebook, according to court documents.
In all, they exchanged thousands of messages as Anderson groomed the girl and told her he loved her, according to court documents. He gave her gifts including bathing suits, perfume and trips to a nail salon.
On Feb. 14, 2024, Anderson placed his hands down the girl’s pants while in his office at the McCreary Central High School, according to court documents. Anderson asked for further sex acts in a more private office, court documents state.
In addition to the criminal charges, he was accused by prosecutors of several other misdeeds at the school.
Anderson is alleged by investigators to have joked inappropriately with other students, purchased electronic vapes and do their schoolwork.
A former school softball player said Anderson would hug her inappropriately and asked her to provide nude photos if he gave her a cellphone.
Anderson was employed by the McCreary County School District in 1997 as a teacher and served as principal for six years, assistant superintendent for 14 years and finally assistant principal until 2024 when he resigned.
In March 2024, he was charged in state courrt with rape, unlawful transaction with a minor, soliciting sodomy and official misconduct. Those charges are separate from the federal charges. A pretrial conference for the state case is scheduled for January 2026.
Anderson faces 10 years in prison and a supervised release in the federal case.
McCreary County about 111 miles south of Lexington, on Kentucky’s border with Tennessee.
Senate Bill 181 took effect in June, requiring all public school districts to implement a traceable communication platform that serves as the only method for teachers to contact students electronically.
Each district decides what platform staff can use to contact students, but more private forms of communication like email, text and social media are banned.
The law is designed to prevent inappropriate sexual communication between students and school officials, but has caused repercussions and confusion.
The unintended consequences began with school sports and clubs that begin practices in the summer.
Public school coaches around the state had to unfriend and unfollow their players on social media and eliminate player phone numbers from their phones and their old team apps such as TeamSnap and SportsYou that might have been used for years outside of their school district’s control.
This story was originally published August 25, 2025 at 1:50 PM.
