Teacher lied to parents so he could have sleepover with 12-year-old, Arizona cops say

A 36-year-old former teacher was arrested after police investigated online chats between him and a 12-year-old student, Arizona police said.

Brendan Barnett, who was a teacher at Verrado Middle School in Buckeye, was having inappropriate chats with a female student on the school’s online portal, according to a July 11 Facebook post by the Buckeye Police Department.

After further investigating, police said they learned Barnett lied to the girl’s parents so he could have sleepovers with her at his Phoenix home.

He told the girl’s parents he was a parent of a different girl at the school, and she would be at the sleepovers, police said.

Police said the girl was at his home alone with him at least three times.

Barnett taught sixth grader history and was hired in 2017, according to a school board report.

“Upon becoming aware of the allegations, Mr. Barnett was immediately removed from the classroom and the Buckeye Police Department was contacted, as was the Arizona Department of Education,” a district spokesperson told McClatchy News in a statement.

The district said Barnett was placed on leave and wasn’t allowed on any school campuses during the investigation. His employment ended May 14.

School officials said Barnett went through a background check before he was hired, and there were no reports of misconduct at the time.

“We want to reassure our community that we are taking this matter seriously and are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for all of our students,” the spokesperson said.

Barnett was arrested July 10 and charged with luring and kidnapping, officials said.

Buckeye is about a 40-mile drive southwest of Phoenix.

This story was originally published July 12, 2024 at 10:40 AM with the headline "Teacher lied to parents so he could have sleepover with 12-year-old, Arizona cops say."