LARGO, Fla. (WFLA) — A teacher at Pinellas Preparatory Academy is accused of trying to send obscene material to a minor.
Lee Hughes was taken into custody on Thursday and has subsequently been dismissed from his position at the school. According to court documents, he had been having discussions with an undercover agent since last June about potentially engaging in sexual activities with a 9-year-old girl.
Footage from Ashley Snodgrass’s car dash camera captured a man at a plaza parking lot on Thursday, walking towards a parked trailer carrying a teddy bear. Shortly afterward, law enforcement approached him with weapons drawn. The man raised his hands, dropped the teddy bear, and complied with their commands.
“It’s a little crazy that it was — it’s just more something you see on TV rather than right in front of you,” Snodgrass said.
She said U.S. Marshall officers approached her shortly after.
“The undercover did say that it was the bust, and he thought he was meeting a little girl to have sex with,” Snodgrass said.
On Friday, Ashley received an email from her child’s school, PPA, informing her that a third-grade teacher, Mr. Hughes, had been arrested due to incidents involving a child or children not part of the Pinellas Prep community. The school stated that they acted swiftly and terminated his employment.
Snodgrass said when she zoomed in on the video, and saw Hughes mugshot posted online, that’s how she knew it was him. Parents at the school spoke anonymously about the arrest.
“My son had him last year. And I talked to my son about it after I heard about it and my son didn’t have anything negative to say about him,” said one parent. “I wish the police had been more forthcoming with the information that they had so that, again, students potentially wouldn’t have been unnecessarily at risk.”
“I don’t feel very safe with my kid at the moment,” said another parent. “Scared for my daughter’s safety here. I mean, don’t want anything like that to happen to my daughter. She’s supposed to trust these people.”
Court documents show since June 2024 Hughes was messaging an undercover account about the sexual abuse he’d like to inflict upon a 9-year-old girl. He requested child pornography of her. The documents outline his graphic conversations about his sexual desires toward the child.
It was also confirmed that Thursday, Hughes went to an agreed upon location to meet the 9-year-old girl where he was arrested and admitted to his conduct in an interview with authorities.
The location where the dash camera video was taken is about four miles from PPA.
