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U.S. NEWS Saturday 4 January 2020

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New York education

official charged

with child sex crime

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Federal
prosecutors in Wisconsin
have accused a high-rank-
ing New York City educa-
tion official of swapping
online messages with an
undercover police officer
posing as a 14-year-old
boy and reserving a whirl-
pool suite for a sexual en-
counter with him.
David Hay, 39, was ar-
rested Sunday at Milwau-
kee's General Mitchell In-
ternational Airport. He was
charged Thursday with
child enticement and pos-
session of child pornogra- This undated photo provided
phy. Online federal court by Winnebago, Wis., County Shelby County, Tenn., Mayor Lee Harris, seated at desk, holds up a letter reaffirming Tennessee's
records didn't list an at- Sheriff's Office shows David largest county's commitment to keep resettling refugees on Friday, Jan. 3, 2020, in Memphis, Tenn.
torney for Hay as of early Hay. Associated Press
Friday afternoon. He was Associated Press
scheduled for an initial ap- Tennessee's largest county
pearance in federal court whirlpool suite at a Neenah
in Green Bay later in the hotel for an encounter with to keep welcoming refugees
day. Hay, of Brooklyn, New the boy on Saturday night.
York, was serving as dep- He canceled the meeting ADRIAN SAINZ a Democrat, follows Re- Trump's order lets local
uty chief of staff for Rich- at the last minute, howev- Associated Press publican Tennessee Gov. governments decide on
ard Carranza, the schools er, messaging the investi- MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Bill Lee's decision to contin- refugee resettlement if the
chancellor for New York gator, who was still posing mayor of Tennessee's larg- ue to resettle refugees. Last state opts in.
City's Department of Edu- as the boy, that his mother est county on Friday reaf- month, Lee rejected the Last year, only 44 refugees
cation, when he was ar- had fallen down the stairs firmed its commitment to option offered to states by settled in Shelby Coun-
rested. The New York City and that he was sched- welcome refugees, amid President Donald Trump's ty, the state's largest by
Department of Education uled to fly out of the state a drop in the number of administration to stop refu- population, said World Re-
fired Hay following his ar- on Sunday. people who are coming to gee resettlement. lief Memphis Director P.J.
rest. A search of Hay's phone the Memphis area as they In Tennessee, Nashville, Moore.
Matthew Krueger, the U.S. revealed sexually explicit flee persecution and war in Knoxville, Chattanooga That number was down
attorney for the Eastern Dis- images of a former Tomah, other countries. also have said that they from 56 in 2018, Moore said.
trict of Wisconsin, said in a Wisconsin, high school stu- Shelby County Mayor Lee want to keep accepting The county can handle up
statement Friday that Hay dent, according to court Harris held a ceremonial refugees. to 400 refugees per year,
began corresponding in documents and the U.S. signing of a letter he sent to In September, Trump he said.
July on a dating app with attorney's statement. Hay U.S. Secretary of State Mike slashed the number of refu- World Relief Memphis
someone he believed was served as principal at Pompeo last month stating gees allowed into the U.S. teams with local religious
a 14-year-old boy living in Tomah High School from the county's desire to keep and authorized state and and community groups to
Neenah, Wisconsin. That 2011 to 2014. Prior to that welcoming refugees from local governments to re- resettle refugees.
person was actually an un- he was an administrator at the around the world who, fuse to accept them. An Moore called the decrease
dercover police investiga- Kettle Moraine High School as Harris' letter says, "em- executive order says that if in refugees a "dramatic
tor. in southeastern Wisconsin. bark on arduous and peril- a state or a locality has not dropoff" that can be attrib-
Hay and the investiga- Hay faces between 10 ous journeys to find safety." consented to receive refu- uted to policies coming out
tor traded sexually explicit years and life in prison if "We have a moral duty to gees under the State De- of Washington. Trump has
conversations for months he's convicted of facilitat- help those in need, those in partment's Reception and signed off on a plan that
and made plans to meet ing a child sex crime. He dire circumstances," Harris Placement Program, then continues a dramatic drop
for sex, according to court faces up to 10 years be- said during a news confer- refugees should not be re- in the number of refugees
documents unsealed Fri- hind bars if he's convicted ence at his office in down- settled within the state or taken in by the U.S. to no
day. of the child pornography town Memphis. locality unless the secretary more than 18,000 in fiscal
Hay eventually reserved a count.q The commitment by Harris, of state decides otherwise. year 2020. q