DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — A campus safety officer at Palm Beach State College is under arrest after Delray Beach police said he tried to meet a 14-year-old boy for sex.
Daniel Scott Winfield, 59, of Lauderhill in Broward County, is facing charges of traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sexual activity and using a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
According to his arrest report, Winfield had been using the Grindr app and text messages to communicate with who he thought was a 14-year-old boy named "Justin."
In reality, however, an outside anti-pedophilia organization had been posing as the teen. This particular group sets up fake profiles on social media and dating sites, then poses as children to see if adults will knowingly solicit minors for sex.
Winfield's arrest report stated that he went to a Walgreens, located in the 4900 block of West Atlantic Avenue, at approximately 7 p.m. Wednesday to meet up with "Justin." Winfield was wearing his full Palm Beach State College campus safety officer uniform at the store.
The anti-pedophilia organization alerted Delray Beach police to the sting, and an officer responded to the Walgreens to question Winfield.
According to his arrest report, Winfield "was under the impression that he was meeting a 14-year-old minor at this location so they could engage in sexual activity."
Winfield told a Delray Beach police officer that he came to the Walgreens after work at PBSC's Boca Raton campus to meet a juvenile named "Justin" because he wanted to be a "'father figure' to him and a friend," adding that he had "no intentions of actually doing anything sexual with the juvenile" and he "only texted sexual things to him but did not want to meet to go through with it since he had a feeling he could end up in jail because of their conversations," the arrest report said.
Delray Beach police said a search of Winfield's cell phone revealed he had been sending photos and explicit messages about doing sexual acts with "Justin."
Winfield admited that "this is wrong," in reference to his messages, the arrest report said.
Winfield was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail at approximately 11:45 p.m. Wednesday. In court Thursday, a judge set Winfield's bond at $20,000 and ordered him to have no contact with children under the age of 18, as well as no access to the internet, smartphones, computers, social media, emails, or text messages.
In a written statement to WPTV News, Palm Beach State College said "this was a special operation conducted by law enforcement and did not involve an actual child."
The school said that "though Mr. Winfield wore a PBSC Campus Safety Uniform, he was not on duty at the time of his arrest," adding that Winfield "is a probationary employee, who was recently hired on October 7, 2024."
Because of his arrest, "Mr. Winfield’s employment with the college has been terminated," Palm Beach State College told WPTV News.
On campus Thursday, students were shocked about Winfield's arrest.
"Pretty despicable," student Ross Laschway said. "I'm glad that someone showed up that could deal with that disgusting behavior."
"In the uniform? That’s disrespectful," student Esleranda Christophe added.
