MESA, AZ — A Mesa school employee is in custody after he allegedly sent inappropriate texts to a teenage student.
Mesa police say on Monday afternoon, they received a call from administrators at Empower Academy near Sossaman and Guadalupe roads after the school leaders had discovered the inappropriate text messages.
Police believe 24-year-old Dominic Sette, a teacher's aide at the school, allegedly had been communicating with the teen boy for months.
In those texts, he reportedly had asked for inappropriate pictures of the victim in the texts.
On Tuesday, Sette was arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and luring a minor for sexual exploitation.
Empower Academy sent ABC15 the statement below regarding the arrest:
"It was brought to our attention on Monday, February 2, 2026, that Dominic Sette, a former middle school paraprofessional, was allegedly involved in misconduct involving a student. Upon receiving this information, the Empower Academy administration immediately notified the Mesa Police Department to file a report. The Mesa Police Department has our full cooperation and assistance with this matter. Out of respect for the ongoing investigation and the individuals involved, our ability to share further details is limited at this time.
The safety and well-being of our students is, and always has been, our highest priority. Empower Academy maintains rigorous hiring and safety protocols, including background checks and fingerprint clearance cards for all employees. We take matters of student safety extremely seriously and act decisively when concerns arise."
