SMYRNA – A Smyrna High School teacher has been arrested on a charge of solicitation of sex with a child, the Delaware Department of Justice announced Friday morning.
The department, in a prepared statement, said an undercover investigation by the Delaware Child Predator Task Force resulted in the arrest of Joshua Rutherford, 35, of Camden-Wyoming.
Joshua Rutherford
Investigators said that in mid-February the suspect began a chat conversation with an undercover investigator whom he believed was the father of a teenage girl on an online social media network, the release said. During these chat conversations, investigators say Mr. Rutherford expressed his interest in meeting his daughter for sex, and also requested nude images.
On March 10, he arranged to meet the investigator at a park in Dover the next day, according to the task force.
On Friday, March 11, the Delaware Child Predator Task Force, assisted by the Delaware State Police Special Operations Response Team arrested Mr. Rutherford.
He was charged with one count of Sexual Solicitation of a child under 18 to engage in prohibited Sexual Act, and one count of Attempted Dealing in Child Pornography.
Search warrants were executed at Rutherford’s residence and on the vehicle that he was operating. As a result of the two search warrants, detectives seized a laptop computer, an external hard drive, numerous USB thumb drives and other related evidence.
At the time of his arrest, Mr. Rutherford was employed as a teacher at Smyrna High School, and members of the Child Predator Task Force ask anyone with information or concerns to call (302) 739-2030.
Mr. Rutherford was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2 and ordered held at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center on a $50,000 secured bail.
