CENTENNIAL, Colo. — An elementary school substitute teacher is accused of uploading child pornography on a social media messaging app, authorities said Friday.
According to a news release from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, Jose Tamayo, 25, of Centennial, was arrested Friday and charged with one count of felony sexual exploitation of a child.
Tamayo worked at Englewood and Littleton public schools, KDVR-TV reported. He was employed by Englewood Public Schools as a substitute teacher and paraprofessional during the 2020-2021 school year, and worked for Littleton Public Schools during the 2021-2022 school year, the sheriff’s office said.
“Investigators have no reason to believe any victims were students of either district,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The sheriff’s office said that investigators received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about a person who had uploaded child pornography through Snapchat, a social media messaging app, KUSA-TV reported.
According to the sheriff’s office, the person suspected of uploading the pornography used the screen name freakygurls420.
Littleton Public Schools Superintendent Brian Ewert said Tamayo was arrested while teaching a third-grade class, KDVR reported.
“The arrest happened quietly and discreetly outside of the building, out of the sight of children,” Ewert said in a letter to the district community. “No information was shared with students.”
The letter added that Tomayo had passed a background check before he began teaching for the district, according to KUSA.
“Safe and ethical behavior of our employees are strong values of the LPS Board of Education, and these values extend to the behavior of substitutes,” Ewert said. “Any time we have a concern about inappropriate employee conduct, either on or off campus, we will take appropriate action.”
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