A Nashville teacher has been arrested after allegedly recording 40 elementary school children as they undressed.
Officials with Metro Nashville Police said 31-year-old Jarrett Jones has been charged with two counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of minors and three counts of sexual exploitation of minors.
Additional charges were expected in the case.
Jones was taken into custody after search warrants were served at his Antioch home.
According to police, the investigation began when Jones asked a colleague to help him with a computer problem. That person reportedly saw questionable items on the computer and called police.
Investigators said they seized hard drives and found 50 videos in a folder entitled “Napier.” They said they also found more than 1,000 sexually explicit images of minors that appear to have been downloaded from an external source unrelated to Napier Elementary.
Jones allegedly recorded the secret videos while he was a music teacher at Napier Elementary School from 2011-2015. He had begun this school year as the assistant band director at Antioch High School.
After placing a hidden video recording device inside the music room’s closet, police said Jones told young girls to change clothes as part of school plays or choir performances.
Police said they’ve identified the majority of the children who were secretly recorded at Napier Elementary.
Forensic interviewers and clinical therapists arranged through the Nashville Children’s Alliance were at 12 schools Monday and talked with a number of the students.
Jones was placed on administrative leave earlier this month as the investigation began.
He was held in lieu of $100,000 bond.
Joe Bass with Metro Schools released the following statement following the incident:
An Antioch High School teacher who formerly served as a music teacher at Napier Elementary School was placed on administrative leave on September 9, 2016. This action took place as a result of an allegation the principal of Antioch High received about possible inappropriate conduct involving students at Napier. Because of today’s events, the building principal, and her executive leadership, will be recommending dismissal to Dr. Joseph. The teacher has had no contact with students since being placed on leave.
All employees are required to report concerns such as these to the proper authorities. The fellow teacher who discovered this situation acted exactly as is required by law and district policy.
We are devastated by the news of this investigation and are doing everything we can to help Metro Police and the District Attorney. We are also working with the District Attorney’s office as well as the Nashville Children's Alliance to communicate with and counsel the affected families, and we expect it to be an ongoing process.
Obviously this is a very difficult and sensitive situation, and we will respect our students’ and families’ right to privacy as Police and the DA pursue this matter.
