Teacher resigns after allegedly soliciting 14-year-old

Published 5:37 pm Monday, April 19, 2021

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NILES — A teacher who was recorded allegedly attempting to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl at a hotel earlier this month has resigned.

Brandywine Community Schools announced Monday that Patrick Stier, 44, a Career Technical Education and CADD teacher at Brandywine High School, submitted his letter of resignation. According to Superintendent Karen Weimer, his letter of resignation was accepted effective immediately.

Stier was placed on administrative leave on April 11 due to an allegation of misconduct outside of school. The action came after a video posted April 2 by a Facebook group called PCI: Predator Catchers Indiana was widely circulated throughout the Brandywine community. The video allegedly shows Stier entering a hotel room in South Bend with the intent to meet a teenager he met on the internet. Instead, Stier was met by adult representatives from the non-law enforcement group, who confronted him about messages exchanged between him and a decoy pretending to be 14 years old.

Though referred to as “Frank Smith” in the video, Stier’s identity was later confirmed by Brandywine community members and former students.

In a letter sent to parents and community members Monday, Weimer, who did not identify Stier, said she could not share further details about the situation. However, she encouraged parents to contact her at kweimer@brandywinebobcats.org or (269) 684-7150 to share their concerns.

“As always, the safety and well-being of your children is our highest priority,” she wrote. “We will continue to take all measures to ensure that students are educated in a safe and nurturing environment.”