Wolfgang Sprenger, an 83-year-old substitute teacher from Florida was arrested after being accused of molesting children at an elementary school, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office said. He was arrested and charged after the allegations were investigated.
Sprenger was immediately removed from his position as a substitute teacher by the Citrus County School District on January 31, after the Hernando Elementary School staff told the school resource deputy that the accused may have inappropriately touched some students. Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office launched its investigation into the allegations.
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A number of juvenile victims were identified by the sheriff’s office’s special victims unit, along with several minor eyewitnesses. On being interviewed, the victims said that Sprenger had touched them inappropriately. After the victims’ statements were recorded, detectives also obtained other evidence supporting the same.
On Thursday, Sprenger was arrested following the investigation. He was charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child less than 12, four counts of lewd and lascivious conduct, and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a child. Sprenger is being held at the Citrus County Detention Facility without bond.
“This case exposes how a predator can and will work themselves into a position of trust to gain access to children,” Sheriff Mike Prendergast said in a statement. “Sprenger violated the trust of the children he was supposed to teach and the trust our community placed in him. A classroom is supposed to be a nurturing and safe environment, not a playground for a predator like Sprenger. I hope this arrest will be the starting point on a journey of healing for his victims.”
