Substitute teacher sent high school students explicit videos on Snapchat, Florida cops say

A substitute English teacher at a Florida charter high school is accused of using Snapchat to send sexually explicit videos to two students and asking one to start a relationship, the sheriff’s office said.

Jerron Dunn, 33, was charged with sex offense on a student by an authority figure and transmission of material harmful to a minor on Nov. 30 and was taken into custody, according to a news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

Two female students, ages 17 and 18, told their guidance counselor at New Beginnings High School, in Winter Haven, that Dunn had sent them videos over Snapchat of himself masturbating, the sheriff’s office said.

“New Beginnings High School can state that Mr. Dunn will not be returning to our campus. He was working under a contract with a professional staffing company, and was not an employee of New Beginnings. Our school personnel have cooperated fully with law enforcement in the investigation that led to Mr. Dunn’s arrest,” New Beginnings High School Principal Sharanta Harrington told McClatchy News in an email. “This matter is now in the hands of law enforcement. We will continue to cooperate with those authorities to the extent needed, and trust that they will handle this matter appropriately.”

The 17-year-old student told detectives she asked Dunn to borrow a phone charger, and while her phone was charging Dunn added himself to her Snapchat friends, according to the release.

Dunn started sending her messages and asking her to come over to his home, deputies said, and when she declined he sent the explicit video.

The 18-year-old student said she accepted a friend request from Dunn on Snapchat before he messaged her saying she was pretty, according to the release.

Dunn told the student he wanted to have a relationship with her, deputies said, but she told him that was “weird” due to their age difference and student-teacher relationship.

Dunn then asked the student to be “friends with benefits” and asked her to come to his home before sending sexually explicit videos to her, deputies said.

“This suspect used his position of authority over students to groom them and attempt to have sex with them; our hope is there are no other victims,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in the release. “We encourage anyone who has been victimized by Jerron Dunn to please contact law enforcement.”

Dunn’s phone will undergo forensic analysis as the investigation continues, the sheriff’s office said, and more charges are pending.

If anyone has information on similar interactions with Dunn, they are encouraged to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200.

Winter Haven is about 50 miles east of Tampa.

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.

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