Elementary Teacher Accused of Posing as Girl to Receive Inappropriate Pictures of Student
A Manchester, New Hampshire public school gym teacher was arrested Monday after police said he posed as an underaged girl on social media to obtain “inappropriate images’’ of a pre-teen girl attending an elementary school in the city.
Paul Johnson-Yarosevich, 34, of Acton, Maine, was charged with one count of prohibited use of computer services and was later released on $5,000 bail. Authorities said their investigation continues and that it’s too early to say whether the Parker-Varney Elementary School teacher’s alleged solicitation was an isolated act.
“The safety of our children is a top priority of Manchester School District,’’ a statement from the district read. “Physical education teacher Paul Johnson was placed on leave prior to Monday’s arrest related to alleged criminal conduct. We are fully cooperating with the police investigation.’’
The investigation began last December, when detectives were contacted by the victim’s father regarding troubling messages sent to his daughter online. Police conducted a search of Johnson-Yarosevich’s home on Friday, and later met with school officials and the accused at the school district’s headquarters Monday. He was arrested without incident, according to police.
Johnson-Yarosevich was first hired as a teacher in 2005, according to a statement from Manchester Police.
A district email listed on the school’s staff directory for Johnson bounced back with an error message Monday afternoon indicating the account was disabled.
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