Head of DC Preschool Arrested for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor

James S. Carroll, the 46-year-old head of the National Child Research Center in Northwest Washington, D.C., has been arrested and charged with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. The investigation began after a Discord employee reported a suspected file of child sexual abuse material uploaded to their servers on September 11.

Using IP data and phone records, investigators linked the content to an account connected to both Carroll’s home and workplace. Further review of his Discord account revealed conversations with other users about child sexual exploitation, including discussions on circumcision of teenage boys, urinating on boys and adults, and the dismemberment of adult men. Carroll expressed an interest in “boy pics” with an age preference of “8-12”.

Between November 5 and November 14, Carroll communicated with an undercover officer posing as the father of a 9-year-old boy, directing the ‘father’ to abuse his child and requesting photos of the abuse. Law enforcement identified Carroll through IP addresses and took him into custody on November 19.

Carroll has also worked at other educational institutions, including the Beauvoir School of the National Cathedral and the Concord Hill School in Chevy Chase. The National Child Research Center, which serves children aged 2 to 5, has placed Carroll on administrative leave and cut off his access to school facilities and technology.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes agents and officers from the FBI Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. Carroll made his first court appearance before Magistrate Court Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh and is detained pending a hearing on November 25).