> Deputies: Hernando County teacher faces deportation after showing student nude photos
Deputies: Hernando County teacher faces deportation after showing student nude photos
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Description
A Hernando County teacher is facing deportation after deputies said he showed photos of his genitals to a 15-year-old student.
On May 13, the student reported the teacher, 45-year-old Jonathan Rowe, to administrators at Explorer K-8 in Spring Hill.
The student was in Rowe's classroom during the teacher's planning period when he asked to view a photo they had taken together on Rowe's phone.
But when Rowe was swiping through his phone, he would pause on photos the student believed were of Rowe's genitals, according to the sheriff's office.
Investigators said Rowe then asked the student to take the cell phone into the bathroom, take pictures of his genitals and show Rowe. The student refused.
Rowe reportedly admitted to investigators that he did have pictures of his genitals on his phone but did not say whether he showed them to the student.
Rowe was arrested on Monday at his Spring Hill home on charges of showing obscene material to a minor and unlawful use of a two-way device. He is being held in the Hernando County Detention Center on a $25,000 bond.
Rowe is a Jamaican citizen currently in the U.S. on a J-1 visa, which allows people to enter the country for educational or exchange programs. He has been a teacher at Explorer K-8 since the start of the school year.
The U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been notified of Rowe's arrest and is working to begin the deportation process.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Hernando County Sheriff's Office at 352-754-6830.
Those who would prefer to remain anonymous can contact Hernando County Crime Stoppers online or by calling 1-866-990-TIPS or **TIPS on a cell phone.