GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A former Grand Rapids school teacher has pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor and could spend at least 10 years in prison.
Philip Paauwe entered the plea in federal court on Tuesday. The agreement states that Paauwe admits to trying to persuade a Florida girl who was under 18 years old to “produce and send him sexually explicit photographs” in September 2017. He continued contacting the girl online until Jan. 4, 2019 using his iPhone 7.
Paauwe was caught after messaging an undercover officer he thought was the mother of a 13-year-old girl, asking for permission to engage in sexual acts with the teen.
Paauwe was fired from the Grand Rapids Public Schools. He had been a special education teacher at the Kent Education Center – Oakleigh for less than a year.
Paauwe could be sentenced from anywhere between 10 years and life in prison.
