A Georgia teacher has been nabbed for allegedly sending nude photos and explicit messages to high school students. Joshua Garrett Blaxton, a 35-year-old former educator from Reidsville and coach at Pinewood Christian Academy in Bellville, is behind bars on a string of charges, including sexual exploitation of children.
Following a tip-off to the Evans County Sheriff's Office on April 12, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took over the case. The probe pointed to Blaxton engaging in inappropriate communications with several female students, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
As per the GBI, the disgraced teacher is accused of sending self-produced explicit images to the students and soliciting similar content and sexual favors from at least one of them. Blaxton, who was arrested on April 19, resigned during the course of the investigation before any charges were laid, according to WSB-TV.
The status of his employment with the academy prior to the arrest is not clear, but the ongoing investigation could reveal more details. Blaxton is being held at Tattnall County Jail, and authorities have not yet set bond. The case, after completion of the GBI's investigation, will be passed on to the Atlantic Circuit District Attorney’s Office for potential prosecution.
Authorities are calling on anyone with further information to step forward. Contacts for the Evans County Sheriff’s Office and the GBI regional investigative office have been circulated, urging community members to submit tips, which can be done anonymously through calling, online submissions, or via a mobile app initiative 'See Something, Send Something'.