A high school teacher in Tennessee was arrested and charged with obscenity after he allegedly showed nude selfies to a student.
Matthew Gay Vedder was arrested on the morning of Wednesday, July 15, and was booked into the Montgomery County Jail, according to Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office arrest documents viewed by Clarksville Now.
Vedder, 52, was arrested after he admitted to investigators with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office that he showed a 17-year-old student the photos of himself on March 9.
The teacher told investigators that showering the photo was an accident, though the student and her family insisted that he did it intentionally.
Vedder was immediately placed on “alternative worksite off school property,” according to Clarksville-Montgomery County School System spokesman Anthony Johnson, per the outlet. “Per district protocols, CMCSS does not begin an internal investigation until all external investigations have concluded.”
He then resigned from the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System one month after the incident on April 9.
The 19th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office was originally assigned to the case, though it was later referred to the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. The office has since assigned the case to the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Sumner County, and the investigation is being led by District Attorney General Thomas Dean, according to the outlet.
Vedder has been charged with four counts of exhibition of obscene material to minors, which is a Class A misdemeanor.
Those found guilty of the charge in the state of Tennessee can face a penalty of up to 11 months and 29 days in prison or be ordered to pay a fine of up to $2,500.
It is not currently clear if Vedder has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding the case.
In June, victim Makenzie Ellithorpe and her father, Adam Ellithorpe, told the Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board that Vedder’s resignation was not enough.
“They have been just trying to silence and silence me and my family about speaking on the problems that are going on,” Makenzie, who turned 18 after the incident, said during the school board meeting, per WSMV.
The family also expressed concerns that Vedder might have other victims. “We are looking to fully prosecute him to the full extent Tennessee law will allow,” Adam said at the time. “There have been multiple, multiple people who have came forward since my daughter spoke up.”
