A long time California school board member was arrested last weekend in an undercover human trafficking operation in Florida.
“Operation Traffic Stop” picked up 213 people, among them 60-year-old Scott Kenneth Wooden, who had served on the Del Mar Union School District Board of Trustees since 2010, Law and Crime reported.
The operation was run by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, whose sheriff, Grady Judd, waved around Wooden’s mugshot during a news conference announcing the successful operation.
“Where would we be with a human trafficking operation without an elected official,” Judd said. “This guy knows better. He’s supposed to be a leader in the community. He’s an elected official. He’s making decisions for our children, and he’s out soliciting prostitutes.”
The Del Mar Union School District said Wooden resigned immediately from the board.
According to the Del Mar Times, Wooden has been married for 23 years and has two children.
Read Related Also: Pregnant Baltimore County Firefighter Jumps in to Help at Automotive Accident, Provides Start Much less Than 24 Hours Later
Law & Crime said the affidavit for Wooden’s arrest indicates that he answered a February 10 ad posted online by undercover agents. In phone and text conversations, the affidavit says, Wooden agreed to meet the undercover agent and pay between $50 and $200 for sexual acts.
He arrived at the location and made contact with the undercover detective, telling her he wanted to pay her $200 for sex without a condom. It was the last thing he asked for before police arrested him.
He reportedly told officials he “got caught doing something stupid.”
Wooden was released on February 13 after posting a $500 bail and is due back in court on February 24.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Featured image: Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Scott Kenneth Wooden’s mugshot/Polk County Sheriff’s Office]
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
document,’script’,’
fbq(‘init’, ‘249856382045099’);
fbq(‘track’, “PageView”);
