Police: Florida teacher had sex with teen, said risk of getting caught "worth it"
OCALA, Fla. -- A Florida teacher has been charged with sexual assault for an alleged relationship police say he had with a former student when she attended his school. The Marion County Sheriff's Office arrested Lake Weir High School teacher Jason Tarlton Tuesday, hours after a school resource officer alerted detectives to sexual images found on a social media app.
The sheriff's office said in a press release that the photos, uploaded to a teen social networking app called "After School," included one showing Tarlton and the 17-year-old victim "standing in front of a mirror in a hotel bathroom partially clothed," and another showing the teacher, who turns 31 on Saturday, completely nude.
Detectives said the victim told them she accidentally uploaded the images from her phone to the app. The victim is no longer a student at Lake Weir High School in Ocala, but told detectives Tarlton was her teacher last year.
The sheriff's office said the victim told deputies that Tarlton told her he loved her "and if he ever got caught, he said she was 'worth it.'"
After detectives arrived at Tarlton's residence, where they arrested him, they said they found they "freshly printed" copies of the Florida statute covering the penalties for sex offenses.
Tarlton was charged with one count of sexual assault by a custodian to a victim between the ages of 12 and 18. He was booked into Marion County Jail and has since posted $10,000 bond.