Updated: Leader of Newberry charter school initiative charged with inviting a 15-year-old boy to his home for sex

Updated on June 21 with information from this morning’s First Appearance hearing.

Staff report

ARCHER, Fla. – Joel Bruce Searby, 43, was arrested this morning and charged with lewd/lascivious conduct, two counts of obscene communication related to luring a minor to meet him for sex, and using a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony. Searby recently led an initiative to convert three schools in Newberry to municipal charter schools.

The 15-year-old victim reportedly received a Snapchat friend request at about 11 a.m. on June 19; the username is redacted in the arrest report, but the report states that the victim had Searby’s phone number saved in his contacts and Snapchat connects Snapchat accounts with phone contacts, so the account showed up under Searby’s name. The Alachua County Sheriff’s deputy who wrote the report also noted that the account in the chats identified himself as someone the victim knew (the role or relationship is redacted) and sent multiple pictures of himself; the deputy noted that several pictures clearly show Searby’s face.

After the victim accepted the friend request, Searby allegedly sent a lengthy series of messages, starting out by asking the victim if he’d “thought about it.” He allegedly asked the victim if he’d ever had “like a secret crush on an older guy? (wide eye emoji & see no evil emoji). Ohhh I just looked at your profile pic you have posted. Omg bro… you’re so hot (hot sweating emoji).”

Searby then allegedly told the boy about a “secret crush” he had in high school with a man in his 40s: “Eventually we got a chance to be alone and he made a move on me to kiss me and I liked it. Then we did more stuff in secret whenever we could. He kinda like taught me stuff. It was fun… Don’t regret it lol. What you think?”

Searby allegedly asked the victim if he would ever do something like that and went into more detail about his sexual experiences with the older man while he was in high school, including oral sex.

Searby allegedly said he remembered that the older man was “really nervous I’d tell. I never would. Never have until now lol. Would you keep it a secret too?”

Searby allegedly sent a shirtless photo of himself and asked the victim for a photo: “Sending me a pic of you helps me know I can trust you. But no pressure.”

Searby allegedly asked the victim if he would be willing to “just try stuff and you could say yes or no? Like I could walk you through it… That’s how it was for me with the guy when I was younger… I’m super secret I have to know you will keep it between us. It’s a huge deal.”

Searby then allegedly asked if the victim could come over to his house the next morning and help him with something. Searby allegedly sent another photo, showing a bulge in his underwear, and later sent two more shirtless photos. He told the victim that if he came over, they could do “some of what I described before” and reiterated that he had to “KNOW that you will keep it our secret. Forever… But as [sic] could both get in trouble if anyone finds out. Especially me. And NO ONE knows.”

Searby allegedly sent a photo of himself in the shower with the text “Shower and shave time (winky face emoji) lmk when you’re up and we’ll make our plan,” along with another photo in a pair of boxers.

Searby allegedly sent messages that outlined a plan for the victim to sneak out and go to Searby’s guest house and told him to park his vehicle behind the shed; he wrote that he could send a text asking him to come over to move limbs or do another job around the house so the victim could have an excuse to give his parents.

Today, a deputy took over the victim’s side of the conversation, and the deputy asked Searby to send a text message that the victim could show his parents. The victim’s phone reportedly received a text message from Searby’s number that said, “Hey bud hope all is well! Are you able to come help me this morning by chance/ Have some things to move and a couple big limbs and need a hand. Let me know. Thanks! Would probably take an hour or a little more.”

A few minutes before 10 a.m., Searby allegedly sent a message via Snapchat, saying he was ready early, “So come anytime. Just lmk when you’re on the way and I’ll meet you on the side of the house.” The deputy reportedly sent a message that said, “When you mentioned yesterday about jerking off. Is that all we would be doing?” Searby allegedly responded, “I mean I would like to do more but we can take it one step at a time and if I start doing anything you don’t want to do we can stop. I’ll walk you through it.”

Deputies obtained a search warrant for Searby’s residence this morning and took him into custody at his home.

Post Miranda, the deputy asked Searby if he knew why they were there, and Searby reportedly said he didn’t want to talk about that. After the deputy read the search warrant, he asked Searby whether he knew the victim, and Searby reportedly said he would rather remain silent and then asked if his wife would be told about this.

Searby has no local criminal history. Senior Judge Aymer “Buck” Curtin ordered him held without bail, pending a hearing on a motion by the State Attorney’s Office to hold him without bail until trial. The motion must be granted by the court if “the court finds a substantial probability that the defendant committed the offense and, based on the defendant’s past and present patterns of behavior,… no conditions of release or bail will reasonably protect the community from risk of physical harm, ensure the presence of the defendant at trial, or assure the integrity of the judicial process.”

Judge Curtin also ordered that Searby may have no access to a computer or cell phone and no access to children under the age of 18 except his own children. Attorney Logan Doll is representing Searby.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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