Buckeye School principal sent sexual messages to undercover agents posing as a 12-year-old girl

BUCKEYE, AZ (AZFamily) – New court documents show that a Buckeye school principal is accused of sending sexual messages to an undercover police officer posing as a young girl.

The investigation began on July 22, when an undercover police officer in Oregon posed as a 12-year-old girl on the anonymous social media app Whisper. According to court documents, the agent posted messages on the app and began receiving them from 42-year-old Joseph Kinney, the principal of Buckeye Union High School.

Kinney allegedly told the victim to “get comfortable in her bed and take off her clothes.” The agent then told Kinney she was 12 years old, to which Kinney responded, “I don’t mind her age,” court documents say. The two continue to talk, and Kinney tells her he lives in California and “would love to come rescue her and they would have a good time,” police said.

Kinney’s comments then turned sexual and the agent reiterated that she was only 12 years old. According to court documents, Kinney then asked the girl for nude photos, but she refused.

The conversation continued until the next day when Kinney told the girl he was at work. The girl asked if he had a fun job and then the conversation ended, court documents state.

Authorities tracked Kinney’s IP address and traced it to his home in Goodyear. Police in the area stopped him near Elliot Road and San Miguel Road and took him into custody Tuesday.

In an interview with police, he admitted to using the Whisper app and said he liked that it “seemed like fantasy and was anonymous,” court documents say. He admitted to talking to several girls on Whisper who claimed to be underage. However, Kinney claimed he never actually believed they were underage and believed they were “adults engaging in fantasy chat and role play,” according to investigators.

Kinney reportedly told authorities that he remembered a girl telling him she was nine years old, but that since the photo did not look like a nine-year-old, he assumed she was an adult. He also admitted to having a sexual conversation with a 12-year-old, but thought it was “just role play and fantasy chat,” court documents say.

According to police, he denied being sexually attracted to children and claimed “he would never engage in sexual activity with a child.” He admitted that he felt “stupid and ashamed of his choices,” court documents say.

Kinney was placed on leave after Buckeye Union High School District Superintendent Dr. Steve Bebeee said officials discovered that detectives were investigating Kinney for “a personal matter unrelated to his work for the school or district.”

Kristin Kok, Buckeye Union High School’s assistant principal, will assume the duties of principal. “Our focus is on providing an excellent education for our students,” Bebee said.

Kinney was charged with seducing a minor for sexual exploitation.

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