A top administrator of a private Christian school in West Texas is accused of sexually grooming his 16-year-old stepdaughter.
Rory James Waide, 55, was arrested and charged with child grooming, a third-degree felony punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison.
Waide is the chief financial officer of Midland Christian School.
Waide’s wife reportedly contacted the Midland Police Department on March 26 about her husband’s behavior towards her daughter.
A report by Newswest9 described the contents of a police affidavit based on a forensic interview with the alleged victim.
The affidavit stated that the victim told police Waide had inappropriately touched her on multiple occasions, including entering her bedroom while she was sleeping and putting his hand on her buttocks.
The 16-year-old girl also said she found a vibrator and a note from Waide in her underwear drawer.
“Some things are meant to just be between you and me. I’m trusting you with this. Please don’t break my heart,” read the note, which the girl said was in handwriting she recognized as her stepfather’s.
Police said the evidence provided, including photographs of the vibrator and note and an audio recording of the girl confronting Waide, showed he was engaging in grooming behavior.
Waide was arrested and booked into the Midland County Jail on March 27 where he is being held on a $25,000 bond.
Midland Christian School issued a statement saying Waide was being placed on administrative leave, and that the matter was not school-related and was being handled by the appropriate authorities.
State records show that Waide does not hold a Texas educator certificate.
According to Waide’s LinkedIn page, he started working as CFO of Midland Christian in 2017, and he previously held accounting and finance positions at Lubbock Christian University and Oklahoma Christian University.
Waide is among the hundreds of Texas school employees charged with sex crimes involving children in just the past few years.
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