Newberry Education First board member arrested for soliciting sex with minors

On Thursday, Joel Searby, a board member of Newberry Education First and former lay minister at Greenhouse Church, was arrested on suspicion of soliciting sexual conduct with a minor.

Searby began a conversation with the 15-year-old boy on Snapchat on June 19 and sent him a detailed description of sexual encounters Searby had with older adults when he was about the same age as the boy.

Searby solicited him for sex and sent him explicit pictures with his face covered, including one showing his hand down his pants, to “build trust.” According to the arrest report, the minor did not send any pictures back.

Before the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office learned of the conversation, Searby had planned to meet the 15-year-old next to his home between 10 a.m. and noon on Thursday, according to the police report.

Searby was arrested on June 20 and charged with lewd conduct, use of a computer to solicit a minor, enticement of a minor to travel and unauthorized use of a two-way communication device.

Brandy Oldman, a member of Save Our Schools in Newberry, said that as a mother of four, she is “deeply saddened by all the victims and families and disgusted that someone like this could take responsibility for our children.”

Newberry Education First was an initiative to convert three public schools in Alachua County into charter schools, but it failed. Save Our Schools was formed as a counter-initiative to gain votes against the conversion to charter schools.

Searby also led a boys’ basketball camp at Oak View Middle School from June 10-13, according to a sign-up list posted on Facebook.

Oldman said Searby always left her with a strange feeling.

“I think it goes deeper than that, and I hope he sings for everyone else involved, if anyone else is involved,” Oldman said.

Contact Lee Ann Anderson at [email protected]. Follow her on X @LeeAnnJOU.