CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The case involving a former Montgomery Central High School teacher accused of showing nude photos to a student has been reassigned to the Sumner County District Attorney's Office after prosecutors in Montgomery County recused themselves.
After the 19th Judicial District Attorney General's Office recused itself from the case, the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference assigned the case to the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, led by District Attorney General Thomas Dean.
Assistant District Attorney General Nathan Nichols confirmed Dean has accepted the appointment as prosecutor pro tem and is reviewing the evidence.
"Our office is currently in the process of reviewing the evidence," Nichols told NewsChannel 5. "In the very near future, General Dean hopes to reach a decision about prosecution."
The case centers on allegations made by Makenzie Ellithorpe, who was 17 years old when she reported that physics teacher Matthew Vedder showed her multiple nude photos on his phone during a conversation at Montgomery Central High School on March 9.
Makenzie told NewsChannel 5 in March that Vedder continued swiping through the images after displaying an initial photo. Vedder told investigators the images were shown accidentally. Makenzie and her family have maintained that the act was intentional.
The allegations prompted investigations by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, the Tennessee Department of Children's Services and the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office. School officials said in March that Vedder was immediately reassigned to an alternative worksite pending the outcome of those investigations.
Vedder, who is married to Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jean Luna-Vedder, resigned from the school system on April 9 while the investigations remained ongoing.
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