Former Arizona Wildcats wide receiver-turned substitute teacher Garic Wharton was arrested in Las Vegas after allegedly soliciting sex from a 16-year-old female student, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The 25-year-old Wharton, who played for UA from 2010-13, had been a substitute teacher at South Academic Center in Las Vegas since February. He was reportedly arrested at his home Thursday as a result of a police investigation that began May 18.
The Review-Journal reported that "the teenage girl told police that Wharton took her picture and showed her pictures of middle school students before exchanging Snapchat information, according to Wharton's arrest report."
The police report also included copies of suggestive text messages Wharton allegedly sent to the girl. "I wanna dive in and make you scream," one of the texts reportedly read.
Breaking: @LVMPD released mugshot of Garic Wharton. He's the substitute teacher facing a charge of attempt. sexual misconduct w/ a student. pic.twitter.com/P2vzLq0YXG
— Kelsey Thomas (@KelseyNews3LV) June 1, 2017
Wharton had been held at Clark County Detention Center without bail since Thursday. He appeared in court for his initial arraignment Monday.
Garic Wharton, the teacher accused of trying to lure a student over Snapchat, appears in court #RJnow @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/W9jZMfGWAo
— Bizuayehu Tesfaye (@bizutesfaye) June 5, 2017
The police investigation reportedly began via a student tip, and Wharton was fired from his position with the school the day the investigation began.
An epidemic of illegal activities has allegedly been uncovered at the Clark County School District in the last year. Including Wharton, 12 district employees have been arrested for inappropriate behavior since July, according to the Review-Journal.
A Las Vegas native, Wharton was a 3-star recruit out of high school and chose Arizona over offers from Nebraska, UNLV and Utah. He caught 36 passes for 555 yards and recorded five total touchdowns during his time at UA. He scored a touchdown in the Wildcats' 2012 and 2013 matchups with ASU.
