JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former teacher who is accused of asking a student for a picture of herself in a bikini has withdrawn his candidacy for a spot on the Duval County School Board.
Ricky King, 25, taught at San Jose Preparatory High School.
He was accused in November of asking his 16-year-old student to send him pictures of herself in a bikini via text message.
The girl's mother showed police a second text message to her daughter in which King allegedly requested a photo and said "Cuz I miss dat ass," according to a police incident report.
The 16-year-old student told police other students texted pictures of themselves to King and associated with him outside of the classroom.
King was no longer working at San Jose Prep when the police report was filed.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said King was not arrested, because no crime was committed.
A spokesperson said it is not illegal to ask a minor for pictures of themselves in a bikini.
Action News Jax has reached out to San Jose Preparatory High School, which is a charter school, to see if King was disciplined.
King sent an email to the candidate and records director Monday and said:
After a lot of thought and all the candidates that have enter the race. It seems I have bitten off a little more than I can chew. How do I properly withdraw from the race?"
He officially withdrew Tuesday.
The student’s mother doesn't want to be identified, but said she was shocked to see text messages between a former teacher and her teenage daughter.
“He missed seeing her hot ass every day and that he wanted to see pictures of her in her bikini,” says mother who wants to remain anonymous.
The mother said King used to teach at the school and then a year after he left, he started reaching out to the 16-year-old.
“He was very buddy, buddy with a lot of students, so it was nothing that I would deem inappropriate at first. And then it got progressively more inappropriate as the hours went on,” says the teen’s mother.
Action News Jax crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson says it's not illegal for an adult to ask a minor for a bikini picture.
“He’s not suggesting that she have sex with him, he’s not sending nude photographs of himself or requesting nude photographs. Had that happened, then he could be charged with sexting,” said Jefferson.
Now this mother is just trying to make sure King never gets another teaching job in this area.
“I want his licensed to teach to be revoked for sure I don’t think he has any business being around anybody else’s children.”
We reached out to King, both on the phone and knocked on his door, but we didn’t get a response. We also reached out to San Jose Prep, but haven’t received a response.
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