Former Arizona middle school teacher arrested for suspected luring, kidnapping of 12-year-old girl

Brendan Barnett, 36, is under investigation by Buckeye police for online chats with a student. At the time of the chats, Barnett was a teacher at Verrado Middle School. The investigation began in April when school district officials alerted the authorities to “possible inappropriate chats” between Barnett and a 12-year-old student. The concerning exchanges were discovered on the school’s online communications portal.

According to AZ Central, the chats revealed that Barnett had repeatedly invited the girl to his home in central Phoenix for sleepovers. He allegedly deceived the victim’s parents by claiming to be the parent of another student who would also be attending the sleepovers. However, investigators found that to be a lie and that Barnett did not have a child. Police investigations uncovered that Barnett had been alone with the victim at his house on at least three separate occasions.

In an email sent out to parents by the Litchfield Elementary School District, school officials confirmed that Barnett was removed from the classroom and placed on leave as the allegations unfolded. He has since been fired from his teaching position. "Upon becoming aware of the allegations, Mr. Barnett was immediately removed from the classroom and the Buckeye Police Department was contacted, as was the Arizona Department of Education," the district said in a statement.

"As the legal process moves forward, LESD79 will continue to fully cooperate with the Buckeye Police Department. We want to reassure our community that we are taking this matter seriously and are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for all of our students," it added. Barnett was arrested by Buckeye police on Wednesday at a Phoenix library. He currently faces one count of luring a minor for sex and three counts of kidnapping. His bond was set at $100,000.