Former Dutch Fork High School Assistant Principal, teacher face several charges including drug use, soliciting minors

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A former Dutch Fork High School Assistant Principal is now facing additional charges related to drug use and soliciting minors after being arrested in Nov. 2018, according to Richland County Sheriff’s Department officials.

Floyd White, 29, will face seven additional charges, including criminal solicitation of a minor, four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, distribution of cocaine within proximity of a school and distribution of marijuana to a person under 18 years old.

In November 2018, White came under investigation thanks to a tip from the Columbia Police Department narcotics unit. Through an investigation with RCSD, CPD and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, White was initially arrested on Nov. 29, 2018, on drug charges.

RELATED: SC assistant principal busted on drug charges asked police informant ‘Your nose good?’ on Snapchat, report says

Investigators learned White would excuse students from school in hopes of gaining their trust and friendship. In doing so, White was encouraging students to be truant, which is why he is facing four counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

“What Mr. White was doing was telling students he could do them a favor. If they didn’t want to go to class in the morning, if they woke up late, if they were tardy to class, what he would do, is the teacher would mark them tardy or absent, but Mr. White would fix it in the front office computer,” Holly Tucker, an investigator with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said. “We believe this was a grooming technique that he was using in order to gain their trust and then later on when that student graduates, turns 18, they would feel more comfortable to come to Mr. Whites house to use narcotics and to possibly engage in consensual sex.”

White also faces charges of criminal solicitation of a minor, because he asked students to share nude pictures of themselves through Snapchat, officials said. He would either ask the students to send the pictures to him or pose as an unidentified girl willing to have sex. After students turned 18, he would invite them over to his house to do drugs and have sex.

Through surveillance video and electronic messages, investigators learned that he and a teacher at Dutch Fork Middle School (now former teacher), who was also a basketball coach at Dutch Fork High School, 25-year-old Austin Duncan, used cocaine in White’s office at least once.

The cocaine was supplied by White, officials said. Duncan is facing possession of cocaine charges.

The Lexington-Richland School District Five and Dutch Fork High School’s administration have been fully cooperative with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department investigation.

Dutch Fork Middle School officials sent a letter to parents and staff regarding the charges on Friday.

We were deeply disturbed to learn of the arrests today of these former employees. Like law enforcement, we do not tolerate this type of conduct and make the safety of our students our first priority. We regret that the actions of a few district employees have the potential to erode the trust we have worked so hard to build with our parents and community. Mr. White and Mr. Duncan are no longer employed in our district.  We encourage anyone with information on this case to immediately contact law enforcement. We appreciate the work of police and are cooperating fully with their investigation.

Sheriff Lott would like to highlight that tips from students for leading them to White’s arrest. Lott said parents should talk with their children and encourage them to come forward if they feel that White ever made them feel uncomfortable or tried to bribe or coerce them into doing something.

WIS had a viewer reach out to us saying White was an assistant principal at Irmo HS before going to Dutch Fork.

WIS asked Trucker if RCSD is looking at his time there as part of the investigation. Tucker says RCSD is asking any student during that time period if they were a victim to come forward and speak with RCSD.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department Victim Service Unit at (803) 576-3128.

White and Duncan turned themselves into the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. White was issued a $5,000 bond while Duncan was issued a $30,000 bond on Friday.

The judge set whites bond with conditions. White will have a GPS monitor, no unsupervised contact with minors, he will not be allowed to use any electronic device to access social media and no contact with any LR5 schools.

He will also not be allowed to speak to any victims.

White’s 1st appearance is set for March 25, 2019, at 9 a.m.

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