The St Andrew South police had taken a male teacher employed at a St Andrew-based high school in custody concerning two investigations, one involving a 13-year-old female student whose family reported her missing for several hours before she was found.
The police apprehended the teacher last Friday, April 21, 2023. Still, they have not charged him with any crime so far, according to Senior Superintendent Kirk Ricketts, commanding officer for the St Andrew South Police.
Ricketts said following the teacher’s arrest, the police were alerted that the educator was the subject of a separate probe led by the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA).
The high school has since placed the teacher on “administrative leave,” but that could be related to the CISOCA probe, the senior cop said.
Also, Ricketts said investigators believe the initial report involving the missing teen had something to do with this teacher.
According to a credible police source, the child was absent from school one day last week, prompting a relative to file a missing person report with the police.
Ricketts said a relative found the teen along Padmore Drive in the Waltham Park Road area the following night. The child has since been reunited with her family.
According to unconfirmed reports, while in custody, the teacher sent a friend to his house to remove electronic gadgets, including a cell phone, a laptop, and a tablet.
The police intercepted the friend and seized the gadgets.
The exhibits are to get examined by the police’s Communication Forensic and Cybercrimes Division.
The Gleaner contacted the school’s principal for comment but denied knowing the situation.