NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A 74-year-old school crossing guard in North Lauderdale was arrested Monday on accusations that he tried to solicit who he believed was a 13-year-old girl for sexual acts, authorities said.
According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, detectives began investigating Keith Astley Taylor on Sept. 28 after a mother filed a complaint against him, claiming that Taylor made inappropriate comments to her teenage daughter, making her feel uncomfortable walking to and from school.
Detectives with the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force then began conducting an undercover investigation and said Taylor exchanged phone calls and text messages with a minor named “Michelle” “for the purpose of engaging in illegal sexual acts,” BSO spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright wrote in a news release.
According to Coleman-Wright, “Michelle,” who Taylor believed was 13 years old, was actually an undercover special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and an ICAC Task Force member.
Authorities said they documented at least 10 phones calls and 210 text messages between Taylor and the undercover agent.
Taylor was taken into custody Monday at his place of work in North Lauderdale after the students were safely in class.
He faces a charge of soliciting a person believed to be a child for unlawful sexual conduct using computer services or devices and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
Taylor is being held on $100,000 bond and, if he is released, he must adhere to a number of conditions, including staying 1,000 feet away from where children congregate and not returning to the incident location at North Broward Academy of Excellence. He also cannot possess any devices that access the internet, including a smartphone, or have contact with any minors under 18.
North Lauderdale Assistant City Manager Michael Sargis said that Taylor is a private contractor not hired by the city. “We are concerned about the arrest and encourage anyone with information to reach out to BSO,” he said.
Detectives believe Taylor may have asked other students for their phone numbers, and are asking that anyone who believes they were victimized call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.