Wolfgang Sprenger touched children inappropriate, according to deputies. (Mugshot: Citrus County Sheriff’s Office)
Deputies claim a substitute teacher used his position to “gain access to children” and inappropriately touch students. Wolfgang Sprenger, 83, of Dunnellon, Florida, was arrested Thursday for two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child less than 12, four counts of lewd and lascivious conduct, and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a child.
& – Yesterday, March 9, 2023, 83-year-old Wolfgang Sprenger of Dunnellon, FL, was arrested as the result of an investigation by CCSO’s Special Victims Unit. #CCSO pic.twitter.com/sCFnGBX97g
— Sheriff Citrus (@SheriffCitrus) March 10, 2023
Staff at Hernando Elementary School told the school resource deputy on Jan. 31 that Sprenger, a substitute teacher, “may have inappropriately touched some students.”
The county school board removed him from his job while authorities investigated.
A detective began to find “multiple juvenile victims, as well as several juveniles who had witnessed these acts,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The children told investigators Sprenger touched them inappropriately, authorities said. Evidence backed up their stories, according to the sheriff’s office.
“This case exposes how a predator can and will work themselves into a position of trust to gain access to children,” said Sheriff Mike Prendergast. “Sprenger violated the trust of the children he was supposed to teach and the trust our community placed in him. A classroom is supposed to be a nurturing and safe environment, not a playground for a predator like Sprenger. I hope this arrest will be the starting point on a journey of healing for his victims.”
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