An Ohio substitute teacher faces public indecency charges after he was caught allegedly masturbating in a middle school classroom in front of the students.
Tracey J. Abraham, 41, who was arrested late Tuesday morning following the purported incident, since admitted to touching himself inappropriately.
In the police report obtained Wednesday by the Fairfield Journal-News, Abraham confessed to “fondling himself” on the outside of his pants. Fairfield detectives stated a student recorded the alleged inappropriate activity. In their report, officers said the video showed the teacher doing the act “while sitting behind the teacher’s desk at the front of the room and looking at his cell phone. The classroom was full of middle school students at the time.”
Abraham told Fairfield officers he was looking at sexually explicit photos on his phone and that he “fondled himself four or five times over the course of an hour, according to the police report. He also said that he never exposed himself.
The incident that led to Abraham’s arrest happened Tuesday at Creekside Middle School in the Fairfield City School District. School officials responded in a statement which explained “students reported suspicious behavior by the substitute that was taking place behind that teacher’s desk.”
The Fairfield City School District stated that once Creekside Middle School administrators were made aware of the allegations, a school resource officer immediately removed the substitute teacher from the classroom and the building.
School district officials said they are “not aware of the substitute teacher having physical contact with any of our students.” Administrators are also “not aware of any students being exposed to any nudity.”
Creekside Middle School statement also said administrators made every effort to apprise the families of “every student who was in the substitute teacher’s classroom” of the situation.
We want to assure you that this individual will not be returning to our schools. The school district will be reporting this incident to the Ohio Department of Education. Providing a safe, secure and positive learning environment for our students and staff has always been and will continue to be our most important priority. Our local Fairfield Police Department has again proven to be an outstanding partner in these types of unfortunate situations, and we greatly appreciate their service.
Apparently, Abraham was not employed by the school district but, instead, the Butler County Educational Services Center (BCESC) which is the organization that oversees the hiring and scheduling of substitute teachers in Butler County and other area schools systems. On Tuesday, BCESC Superintendent Chris Brown told the Journal-News Abraham passed the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks he took when hired in 2012.
Brown said Abraham also went through a background check in 2017 and “there has been nothing in his background.” The BCESC chief added that Abraham also worked as a substitute teacher in other Butler and Warren county schools; however, his record shows no prior complaints lodged against him.
Late Tuesday, Abraham was charged with one count of public indecency, a first degree misdemeanor. He was arraigned at the Fairfield Municipal Court and released on his own recognizance; but the judge ordered him to stay away from all locations where children under 18 years old are present. He is expected back in court on January 15.
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