TOWN OF UNION, NY – A middle school principal in Upstate New York is accused of attempted rape after he allegedly traveled to meet up with a teenage girl.
At the time of his arrest, Johnson City Middle School Principal Daniel Erickson, 55, had chicken nuggets and a Grimace milkshake from McDonald’s, officials said.
Officials said. According to the Broome County Sheriff’s Office: On July 7, 2023, Broome County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Daniel Erickson, age 55 of Greene, NY, following an investigation into suspicious behavior involving a minor that attends Johnson City High School.
The investigation found that Erickson had been communicating via Snapchat with a 16-year-old female student, making statements and eventually overt actions to indicate he was going to engage in sexual conduct with the minor.
Erickson agreed to meet with the student in a remote location with the intentions of engaging in sexual relations; however, detectives were at the location upon his arrival, and he was taken into custody without incident.
Communication between Erickson and the minor had been taking place for at least one week prior to his arrest and during that time frame, Erickson had made multiple attempts to meet with her, including going to her home, however, that attempt was foiled when the victim did not come out to meet him.
The initial conversation on Snapchat began with Daniel posing as a younger adult and subsequently using his position as the Johnson City Middle School Principal and school district database information to convince the 16-year-old girl who he really was.
On July 5, 2022, the Broome County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to the situation and upon the BCSO’s involvement, there was no further risk of harm to the juvenile female at any time.
Sheriff Fred Akshar said, “I commend our Detective Division for their excellent police work in putting the safety and welfare of this student above all while conducting a thorough investigation that ultimately brought this predator to justice. I’d also like to thank the Johnson City School District and specifically Superintendent Eric Race for assisting in this investigation, cooperating and providing key information throughout. As a father, I know this is a nightmare scenario for any parent. We entrust our schools with the care and safety of our children, and to have an individual violate that trust, abuse their power and prey on a very student charged in our schools’ care is beyond disgusting. If anyone in our community finds themselves in a similar situation, whether you are a student or a parent of a student, it’s critically important that you come forward immediately and make your school and law enforcement aware. A key word in the charges is attempted, because this horrific situation might have been worse if not for the family, the school district and law enforcement all working together to make sure Mr. Erickson was held accountable for his actions.”
