SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A University of Central Florida music professor is currently behind bars after Seminole County investigators say he tried to meet a teenage boy for sex at a Walmart.
Laszlo Marosi was in contact with the minor via the app Grindr, according to his arrest report. The 59-year-old started messaging the boy March 18 and was in communication with him for approximately two days before offering to meet at a Walmart Neighborhood Store in Winter Springs.
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Deputies say the teen’s profile said he was 19 but had disclosed his true age to Marosi on two occasions before agreeing to meet.
The upcoming meetup was reported to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office March 19. The Sheriff’s Office arranged to have deputies present during the time of the meetup, according to a report.
On the afternoon of March 19, deputies observed a man matching Marosi’s description circling the Walmart parking lot in a white vehicle. Deputies say they approached Marosi, confirming his identity and intentions by sending him a message via the teen’s Grindr account.
When asked about the incident, the music professor said “I was just curious,” according to an arrest report.
Marosi was taken into protective custody after making suicidal statements, investigators say.
Deputies took Marosi’s black iPhone 7 and submitted into evidence. Using approved search warrants, detectives were able to confirm the Grindr chats came from Marosi’s phone.
After Marosi was released from protective custody, he turned himself into the John E. Polk Correctional Facility Monday.
Marosi is being held on $40,000 bond on one count of obscene communication with a child.
Marosi was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, according to UCF.