Jonathan Rowe, a 45-year-old Jamaican math teacher at Explorer K-8 in Spring Hill, Florida, was arrested on Monday and is now facing deportation after allegedly showing nude photos of his genitalia to a 15-year-old student.
Rowe, who had been employed at the middle school since the start of the school year, is in the U.S. on a J-1 visa, which permits foreign nationals to enter the country for educational or exchange programs. He was charged with showing obscene material to a minor and unlawful use of a two-way device, both felonies, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident reportedly occurred on May 13 during a planning period. The teen boy told police he had asked Rowe to show him a photo they had previously taken together. As Rowe scrolled through his phone, “he would stop on photos of what the student believed was Rowe’s genitalia,” authorities stated. The student further alleged that Rowe then “instructed the student to take his cell phone to the bathroom to take pictures of his genitalia to then show Rowe,” which the student refused to do.
When questioned by investigators, Rowe “confirmed he had pictures of his genitalia on his phone” but “declined to answer whether he showed the pictures to the teen.”
Rowe was arrested at his Spring Hill home and transported to the Hernando County Detention Center, where he is being held on a $25,000 bond.
Federal immigration officials have been notified of Rowe’s arrest “for the purposes of obtaining a detainer, which starts the deportation process.”
Rowe was reportedly terminated from his teaching job last Wednesday, with a spokesperson for the Hernando County School District stating he “will not be allowed to return” to the school district. As of Wednesday, no other victims have been identified, though the police investigation remains ongoing.
