A former school administrator has been banned from teaching for 15 years after being caught in a ‘creep catcher’ sting.
Mark Louis Pierotti was head of Aspengrove School in Lantzville when he was fired last summer for allegedly engaging in inappropriate communication with a person who stated they were under the age of consent. A consent resolution agreement released Tuesday, Aug. 8, by the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, noted that Pierotti relinquished his certificate of qualification on Sept. 20, 2022, just eight days after the school reported the allegation to the commissioner under the Independent Schools Act.According to the agreement, Pierotti used the Grindr dating app to contact a person who listed his age as 21, but then communicated that he was 15 years old.
The vigilante met Pierotti at a prearranged meeting place. Pierotti was sitting in his car and drove off as the man approached and used his cell phone to record the interaction. The vigilante then posted the cell phone video recording and Grindr messages on Facebook.
“After being told that the youth was 15, years old, Pierotti continued to send messages, some with sexual content, and also arranged to meet the youth,” stated Ana R. Mohammed, commissioner, in the agreement. “Pierotti was aware of the age of consent and that sexual activity with a 15 year old would be criminal in nature. [His] conduct became known to the public through the Facebook posting [and his] conduct undermines the public’s confidence in the education system.