(2 p.m. update w/comments from School superintendent, parent)







- from combined reports



Northeast Middle School teacher, Clifford "Scooter" Holloway, will be suspended without pay after being arrested Thursday afternoon in Pensacola, Fla., after he drove there thinking he was going to have sex with a 15-year-old female, according to reports.

Holloway, 56, of 7759 Lizalia Road, Meridian, had set up a meeting with an undercover police officer who had been communicating with him since mid-June on MySpace, a news release from the Pensacola Police Department said.

He has been charged with two counts of sexual assault on a child 16 years or older, two counts of transmitting pornography to a minor and one count of traveling to have sex with a minor. Additional charges are pending.

Lauderdale County Superintendent Randy Hodges, after a meeting at Central Office with Northeast school officials, said the school district is in the process of delivering a letter to Holloway's address notifying him he's been suspended without pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

Holloway teaches science and physical education at Northeast Middle School; he has taught and coached in the Lauderdale County School District for 28 years. He has coached different sports over the years, including golf, Hodges said. He has also taught at Northeast High School.

Hodges said he was informed this morning about 10:30 a.m. by local law enforcement of Holloway's arrest. Since then, Hodges said he's also contacted some school board members and the school board's attorney.

"There are going to be all kinds of rumors," Hodges said. "Comments will be made; I'm focused on the facts. We owe it to the school district to move forward in a positive way ... and stay focused on a positive start for the school year.

"This is terrible it really is. It's the last thing you want to hear from an employee because number one the first responsibility we have is to make sure our students are safe."

Lauderdale County School district students are scheduled to return to school Aug. 7. Hodges said there were no written complaints or reports on file of misconduct by Holloway. No parents have called Central Office yet, he said.

Hodges also said the school district will begin search for a new teacher to replace Holloway in hopes of having them in place by Aug. 7.

"We want to try to find a certified teacher and the best we can get so we don't lose any quality instruction time," Hodges said.

News of the arrest has spread throughout the county to parents.

"I would not want him teaching my child after an accusation like that," said Helen Stufflebean, whose 9-year-old daughter attends Northeast Elementary School.

"I don't think he should be allowed to teach at all – in fact I think his teaching license should be revoked," Stufflebean said.

Aside from working at Northeast, he also works part time at Lowe's Home Improvement in Meridian.

"Oh my God ... that is terrible," a shocked Luther Edwards, store manager at Lowe's, said of the news.

Edwards said Holloway had taken a few days off from work and was not on the schedule for the weekend. Holloway worked in the store's paint department for about 5 years, Edwards said.

"He's a great employee. He was nice and never said a lot but just worked hard and did his job. This is bad. I hate to hear this."

Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie and Meridian Police Chief Benny DuBose said they both have been contacted by Pensacola law enforcement.

"We're just hoping there are no victims here," Sollie said.

Meanwhile, Lauderdale County Superintendent Randy Hodges and other school officials have been in a meeting at Central Office in downtown Meridian and have yet to comment on the case, including what the charges will mean for Holloway's employment.

Holloway was arrested around 3:30 p.m. Thursday after a member of the Northwest Florida Child Pornography Task Force saw him driving in the area of Palafox and Cervantes streets. Pensacola Police Officer Chris Wilkinson said Holloway drove to Pensacola on Thursday and arrived here around noon planning to meet a 15-year-old female at a local motel around 2:20 p.m. and have sex with her.

Detective Tarlanda Gooden began investigating Holloway after Capt. Paul Kelly received a telephone call on June 15 from a concerned Pensacola mother who said her 16-year-old daughter had been communicating with a 56-year-old man via MySpace on the computer. The mother learned of their communications after checking her daughter’s MySpace page. The victim told Gooden she had had sex twice with Holloway in March at a Pensacola motel.

Wilkinson began communicating with Holloway via MySpace on June 27 as part of an undercover investigation where he pretended to be a 15-year-old female. Wilkinson said he and Holloway communicated with each other almost daily on the computer, and that a few weeks after they began talking, the suspect asked about them meeting in Pensacola.

In both investigations, Holloway transmitted nude photographs of himself over the computer to the 16-year-old victim and to Wilkinson. He also asked both victims for nude photographs of themselves; Gooden said the 16-year-old victim complied.

As part of the on-going investigation, Wilkinson will do a forensic analysis of Holloway’s computer and cell phone to determine if he has been in contact with other minors.

Officers with the Pensacola Police Department, Escambia and Santa Rosa sheriff’s offices, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and State Attorney General’s CyberCrimes Unit participated in Thursday’s arrest.

Wilkinson said Holloway used the screen names MySpace.com/Golfcoach18 and Golfcoach18@Yahoo.com.

Any teen-agers who may have been in contact with Holloway or knows someone who has had contact with Holloway is asked to contact Detective Tarlanda Gooden at (850) 435 -1972.