TAMPA, Fla. — A former Florida school administrator was sentenced Tuesday to more than three decades in prison in a child pornography and sexual abuse case.
In a news release, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Florida's Middle District said Kyle Dale Ritsema, 36, of Land O' Lakes, pleaded guilty in December to having, producing and distributing child pornography.
Ritsema, who has worked as a teacher and assistant principal in Pasco County, "enticed a 14-year-old child" using the Grindr app in 2014, prosecutors said in the release.
"Ritsema had sex with the child on at least five occasions over the course of one year and produced pornographic images of the child," the release said, adding that Ritsema later "shared the images with others."
One of those people was then-Pasco school bus manager William Napolitano, who was sentenced in December to life in prison after he was convicted of child porn and sexual assault charges, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Authorities said Ritsema, who is HIV-positive, also "targeted many other minors, including former students," and sexually abused them.
"On multiple occasions, he did not disclose his HIV status despite having unprotected sex with unknowing children and adults," the news release said.
Cox Media Group
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