On February 28, 2024, 40-year-old Douglass James, a teacher’s aide at a Brooklyn school, was taken into custody for allegedly sending s*xually explicit videos to a 14-year-old female student.
The New York Post reported that the teenager filed a complaint with authorities on the day of Douglass' arrest, which took place at about 12:30 p.m. at Juan Morel Campos Secondary School. It is a grade 6–12 school in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
According to the report, Douglass James was charged with unlawful publication of an intimate image; endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawful disclosure of an intimate image.
Douglass James allegedly sent the explicit videos through Instagram over about two weeks
BNN Breaking reported that the arrest of Douglass James prompted a police investigation to determine the extent of the offense. The explicit videos were sent to the 14-year-old female victim on Instagram for about two weeks, spanning between January 25 and February 5.
According to the report, the content in those explicit videos revealed minors engaging in s*xual activities, which creates concerns over the possibility of more victims. As the course of the investigation progresses, authorities are trying to figure out if this was a singular event or part of a broader pattern of behavior.
The New York Post reported that Douglass James is listed as a paraprofessional by the Juan Morel School. However, it was not specified what grade he was in charge of. According to his LinkedIn, he has experience as a science teacher.
According to BNN Breaking, the paraprofessional's arrest shocked the Juan Morel Campos school community and caused parents, teachers, and legislators to grapple with the fallout from such instances in learning environments. The site went on to say that this situation highlights how important it is to safeguard students in the digital age, since social media platforms may easily expose children to harmful content.
According to the report by BNN Breaking, the charges highlight the severity of the allegations and the possible implications for Douglass James. As the legal process advances, the school community and the public await more information about the case.
Similar incidents in the past in Brooklyn
A press release by the United States Attorney's Office - Eastern District of New York stated that on March 9, 2023, Brian Quinones, a paraprofessional at Midwood High School in Brooklyn, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for s*xually exploiting a child. He persuaded a minor to send s*xually explicit videos of himself on WhatsApp and then threatened to make them public if the minor did not continue sending more videos.
According to the press release by the United States Attorney's Office - Eastern District of New York, between September 2019 and January 2020, Brian used an instant messaging mobile application to trade numerous videos and images portraying child p*rnography with another individual who has since been charged with similar crimes.
The United States Attorney's Office - Eastern District of New York stated in a press release that on March 30, 2023, Jonathan Deutsch, who was teaching at Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences in Brooklyn before his arrest, was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for the production of child pornography. He was convicted of four counts of s*xual exploitation of a minor and six counts of attempted s*xual exploitation of a minor.
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