An Iberia Parish high school band director was arrested Wednesday after he was caught hiding in a 16-year-old girl’s closet on April 8.
Jeremy Conner, 30, who was charged with one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile, was released Thursday on $50,000 bond.
Lt. Col. Bobby Webre, of the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, told reporters Conner has been in contact with the teenager since last year.
Conner reportedly sent inappropriate text messages to the girl who does not attend Westgate High School where Conner is employed as band director.
Conner called the high school on April 9 to say he would be late for work, according to KATC-TV. He did not mention he had been arrested the day before.
Iberia Parish school system Superintendent Dale R. Henderson told the media the school district learned about Conner’s arrest after the police sent a news release to the school.
Conner, who lives in Baton Rouge, began working at Westgate in 2014. He reportedly resigned as band director of North Banks Middle School in East Baton Rouge Parish after he threw a chair at a 14-year-old boy, striking him on the left arm and drawing blood.
Conner was arrested May 12, 2014 on a count of felony aggravated battery in the chair throwing incident. But the charge was later dropped after Conner completed an anger management course and resigned from the school. He told school officials that he’d found another job.
Henderson has ordered an investigation to determine if Conner had inappropriate contact with students at Westgate.
Henderson said the school district has still not heard from Conner, whose current status is absent without leave.
