A substitute teacher at a high school in Palm Beach County was arrested earlier this week after allegedly soliciting a 15-year-old girl to engage in "sexual activity" with the woman's boyfriend around Christmas.
Evelyn Hayes, 50, was arrested Tuesday on charges including soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
Hayes, who was a substitute teacher at Palm Beach Central High School in Wellington, made arrangements for the teen to sleep at the home of Hayes' boyfriend and engage in sexual activity on Christmas night, NBC affiliate WPTV-TV reported.
The teen had been helping the boyfriend, 50-year-old Thomas Hicklin, build an online dating website since November according to police.
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Hicklin texted the teen on December 18 saying he wanted her to come over and "offered to buy the Victim bras and underwear for Christmas gifts," according to an arrest report.
Hayes and Hicklin reportedly texted on Christmas Eve and discussed the teen coming over. The teen later alerted West Palm Beach Police.
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Hayes confirmed the texts to police but later claimed she was "bluffing him" about the sexual activity because she said he had expressed interest in young girls. In an undercover police call, the teen told Hicklin she was 15. He replied "for me you look 23, you look like a grown woman."
Hicklin was arrested on a charge of soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct and later bonded out of jail.
Hayes was given a $28,000 bond and ordered to have no conduct with Hicklin, the victim or anyone under the age of 18.
Officials with Palm Beach Central High School or the School District of Palm Beach County did not confirm if Hayes was still employed with either the school or the district.
