In recent news out of California, a staff member at one of the country’s top fifty law school has been charged with attempting to establish sexual contact with an underage individual. The accused is Scott Woeckel, a prominent manager of audiovisual production and information systems at Pepperdine University School of Law. The arrest took place in Glendale, California, on the 12th of August, following a sting operation launched by a vigilante group recognized as the Creep Catching Unit (CC Unit).
The CC Unit alleged that they used an online application to impersonate a 13-year-old girl. According to a report by the Pepperdine University Graphic, Woeckel then allegedly sought photographs from the supposed underage girl, precipitating his arrest by the Glendale Police Department. The arrest occurred at the Glendale Galleria mall, the alleged location for a planned meeting between Woeckel and the reputed underage girl.
Furthermore, Pepperdine University’s School of Law has responded to Woeckel’s arrest with a formal statement. The University indicated that immediately following Woeckel’s arrest by Glendale Police on Saturday night, suspicion of soliciting a minor led them to place the staff member on leave. Until pending investigations are conduclusive, Woeckel is expected to remain on a leave of absence. As stressed by the University, any accusations of this severity are handled with utmost seriousness and appropriate actions are always taken in such situations.