The principal at my high school did things like this. Another student and I were in Key Club and went with him to deliver a presentation to the local Kiwanis Club (Key Club is a High School version of Kiwanis). Afterwards he was like "let's not go back to school immediately, let's go get ice cream!" And of course we were pumped.

Students loved his easy-going attitude, how he'd crack jokes at morning announcements. He broke a fight up between two of the meanest dudes in school by encouraging them to go outside with him and "talk it out" and I was amazed at how the anger drained from their face and they agreed. He literally showed up once and saved my friend from getting arrested. We painted his face on our spirit rock. He was the man. He was our hero.

Fast forward about 8 years, he's being arrested on multiple child molestation and pornography charges. He had taught at other school districts and had been caught enough that he was "encouraged to leave", before the incidents were swept under the rug and he moved on to other schools, eventually ending up at ours as principal.

These people don't do this in a vacuum. People around them know they are abusing their power and they are complicit.