Honk News (Irvine, CA) – A teacher, aged 44, from the Irvine Unified School District was taken into custody over the weekend following an alleged sexually explicit online exchange he thought was with a 14-year-old boy, officials reported on Monday.
Eric Reid Zuercher, who lives in Irvine and teaches math at Sierra Vista Middle School, was reported to law enforcement by a private organization dedicated to uncovering individuals involved in online criminal activities, as stated in a release from the Irvine Police Department.
“The group reported that while posing online as a 14-year-old boy, they communicated with an adult man,” the release detailed. “The text messages turned sexual in nature, and the adult asked the minor if he would be interested in meeting.”
Officials noted that before contacting law enforcement, the individual who reported the incident approached Zuercher at his residence in an attempt to engage him in conversation. However, after a short exchange, the 44-year-old retreated inside his home and shut the door.
Authorities subsequently secured a warrant, apprehended Zuercher at his residence, and processed him at the Orange County Jail for allegedly attempting to communicate with a minor for the purpose of meeting and engaging in sexual acts.
According to the release, officials from the school district have collaborated closely with investigators and currently do not believe that the 44-year-old has engaged in any inappropriate relationships with students.
The district has placed Zuercher on administrative leave, nonetheless.