Editor’s note: This article contains graphic details of the allegations as described by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

MORRISTOWN -- A man who federal prosecutors confirm is a former Morristown Central School superintendent has been arrested and charged with enticing a minor.

Bruce A. Wakker, 65, of Syracuse was arrested Thursday, June 11 and charged with attempting to entice or coerce a child. Wakker served as Morristown Central superintendent from 2000 to 2003, when the school board failed to extend his contract and Beverly Ouderkirk was appointed as interim superintendent, according to the state Education Department.

The announcement came from United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Thomas F. Relford, special agent in charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Federal prosecutors said that between November 15, 2019 and June 11, 2020, Wakker exchanged sexually explicit text messages with an undercover investigator who was posing as both a 9-year-old girl and the adult mother of the girl.

On several occasions, Wakker directly instructed the girl how to use various sexual objects and aids he purchased and mailed to her and her mother, federal authorities said.

Earlier this month, Wakker discussed meeting the girl and her mother. On June 11, Wakker traveled from his residence in Syracuse to New York Mills, New York, to meet with them. Wakker was encountered by law enforcement and arrested, prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutors say anyone who wants to provide law enforcement with information about the defendant should contact the FBI Albany Field Office at (518) 465-7551.

Wakker appeared June 11 for an initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Stewart, who scheduled Wakker’s detention hearing for June 17. Wakker will remain detained pending that hearing, according to the Department of Justice.

This charge filed against Wakker carries a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of at least five years and up to life. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors, DOJ said.

This case is being investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force, including investigators from the Colonie Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Geoffrey Brown and Rachel Williams.

This case is prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood: https://www.justice.gov/psc/