A teacher at Explorer K-8 School was arrested May 19 after allegedly showing a student photos of his genitalia and asking the student to take explicit pictures of himself, according to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.
On May 13, a 15-year-old student reported to school administrators that Jonathan Rowe, 45, had shown him an image of male genitalia on his cell phone. The student said he was in Rowe’s classroom during the teacher’s planning period when the incident occurred.
According to investigators, the student and Rowe had previously taken a photo together in the classroom. When the student asked to see the picture, Rowe retrieved his phone and began scrolling through his photo gallery. The student said Rowe stopped on several images that he believed showed Rowe’s genitalia.
The student also reported that Rowe asked him to take the phone into the bathroom and take photos of his own genitalia to show Rowe. The student refused.
During questioning, Rowe admitted to investigators that he had pictures of his genitalia on his phone but declined to say whether he showed them to the student.
Rowe was arrested at his home in Spring Hill on May 19 and charged with two felony counts: showing obscene material to a minor and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. He was transported to the Hernando County Detention Center and is being held in lieu of a $25,000 bond.
According to authorities, Rowe is a citizen of Jamaica and is in the United States on a J-1 visa, which permits foreign nationals to work in the U.S. as part of educational or cultural exchange programs. He has been employed as a teacher at Explorer K-8 since the beginning of the current school year.
Homeland Security Investigations, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has been notified of the arrest for the purpose of issuing a detainer, which begins the deportation process.
As of Tuesday, no other victims have been identified, but the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information related to this case is urged to contact the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office at 352-754-6830.
