ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A Catholic School Teacher has been fired and arrested, accused of attempted sexual battery of his own student.
“I didn’t have any idea. This is a quiet neighborhood. I just woke up because I saw the lights flashing from my bedroom window,” a man who lives near where the suspect lives told Channel 9.
“I don’t know him very well; he is a neighbor, and I know he’s a school teacher.”
Jared Andrew Tatum is 31 years old. According to the Orlando Police Department, the events happened at Bishop Moore Catholic High in Orange County in May. Officials say the man inappropriately touched the student during a tutoring session.
Tatum also teaches engineering. According to neighbors, he was arrested just before 2 a.m. Thursday at his home in Tavares, where he lives with his parents.
Channel 9 visited the home on Thursday, but no one was there at the time.
“I woke up at one o’clock, there were police walking around all over here,” the neighbor said. “It’s a total shock. It’s a total shock to me.”
In a statement, the Diocese of Orlando told us Mr. Tatum was fired back in May, right after the incident. He is charged with lewd touching and attempted sexual battery.
Mr. Tatum will remain at the Lake County jail until he makes his first appearance. That’s when a judge is expected to decide on a possible bond and transfer to the Orange County Jail.
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