A 65-year-old Palm Beach County School District employee from Lake Worth has been arrested after Boynton Beach police say he sent sexually explicit messages to someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy. Police announced the arrest around 5:45 p.m. Monday.
Donald Rush was arrested by the department’s Human Exploitation Task Force after an undercover investigation. Detectives posing as a 14-year-old boy posted a lawn mowing ad on the Craigslist community board, according to police. A user with the name “Palm Guy” responded, and police later identified that user as Rush.
Police said Rush asked the boy about his age, whether adult men had approached him for sex and whether he had told his parents. The conversation later moved to text messages, where police said Rush continued asking sexual questions and talked about his own sexual activity, even after detectives repeated that the boy was 14.
With help from the Palm Beach County School Board Police Department, detectives located and interviewed Rush. Investigators said he confessed and claimed to be a youth pastor.
Rush is charged with solicitation of a minor to engage in sexual conduct and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. He is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail. Detectives believe there may be more victims and asked anyone with information to call 561-742-6158.
The charges are allegations, and Rush is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
