A 31-year-old elementary school teacher was arrested by the Ocala Police Department after a concerned mother told officers that he asked for a photo of her child wearing only underwear.
On Friday, March 10, the child’s mother contacted OPD and advised that her ex-boyfriend, Eddie Lee Scott, had requested the picture of her child.
An OPD detective conducted an investigation and discovered additional allegations, including an incident when Scott allegedly gave the child an ultimatum between giving him a massage or receiving a spanking. OPD stated that Scott proceeded to spank the child with her clothes pulled down, and then he discussed sexual matters with her afterward.
In addition to the above accusations, OPD stated that Scott sent multiple text messages to the child’s mother that were of a sexual nature involving the child, including an alleged demand that the mother bring her child to his home “without any clothes on,” according to OPD.
After a thorough investigation, which included a forensic interview with the child at Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection, Scott was arrested by OPD and transported to Marion County Jail on Friday, March 17. He was released from jail the following day on $23,000 bond.
Scott is facing felony charges for lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor, soliciting child pornography, soliciting travel to meet a minor, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device (two counts). A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.
OPD stated that Scott was a second-grade teacher at Wyomina Park Elementary School, and the alleged incidents involving the child did not occur at the school.
The Ocala Police Department released a statement following Scott’s arrest: “This sort of behavior is unacceptable, especially for a person in an authority position over children. We ask if anyone else has experienced similar behavior from Mr. Scott, to please let law enforcement know.”