Middle school science teacher and married dad-of-two, 34, ‘sent a student a photo of his genitals on what he dubbed ‘naked hot tub night”
- Bill Burns French III charged with transmitting harmful information to a minor child and using a two-way communication device to commit a felony
- French is an eighth-grade science teacher from Florida with a wife and two young daughter under age four
- He is accused of sending his former student a photo of his genitals while exchanging messages on Instagram last month
- Student’s father saw the image and reported French’s conduct to law enforcement and officials at Oak View Middle School
- Court records show French’s wife of seven years filed for divorce a day after his interview with investigators
A married middle school science teacher from Florida has been accused of sending a photo of his genitals to a former student over Instagram after joking about ‘naked hot tub nights.’
Deputies with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office arrested Bill Burns French III, 34, on Thursday, charging him with transmitting harmful information to a minor child and using a two-way communication device to commit a felony.
The arrest came three days after the school resource deputy at Oak View Middle School, where French teaches eighth-grade science, was notified by a parent that he was messaging his child on Instagram.
Bill Burns French III, a married dad-of-two and a middle school teacher (pictured right with his wife), has been charged with transmitting harmful information to a minor child and using a two-way communication device to commit a felony
French has taught eighth-grade science at Oak View Middle School in Newberry, Florida
The victim’s father accused French of sharing sexually explicit images of himself with his child, who is a former student of French.
According to court documents obtained by The Gainesville Sun, French, who is a married father of two daughters under four years old, was messaging back and forth with his ex-student on Instagram a week ago, with their conversation initially revolving around jokes and sports.
But the online interaction took an unexpected turn when French wrote to the student that it was ‘naked hot tub night,’ according to an arrest report.
A few more purportedly innocuous messages followed, before the science teacher allegedly sent a photo of his genitals to the juvenile.
The child’s father saw the exchange and ordered French to stop communicating with the minor. The parent then reported the incident to the school and local law enforcement on October 26.
When questioned by deputies, French initially lied that he dropped his cellphone in a toilet, and that the SIM card was removed and chewed up by his daughter, according to the report.
French, pictured left with his eldest daughter, and right during his wife’s second pregnancy last year, is accused of sending a photo of his genitals to his former student on Instagram
A day after French was interviewed by law enforcement about his conduct, his wife of seven years filed for a divorce
The teacher later admitted to sending the X-rated photo to the student, the court papers stated.
The sheriff’s office stated that there is no evidence to support that there are any other victims and ‘this appears to be an isolated incident.’
French has been placed on administrative leave at the school. He is being held at the Alachua County Jail on $35,000 bail.
Court records indicate that a day after his interview with investigators, French’s wife filed for a divorce.
Social media posts reveal that the couple have been married for seven years. They welcomed their first daughter in November 2016 and their second last year.