A former teacher at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School has been arrested after police say he took inappropriate photos of three female students while they were in his classroom.
Todd Scriber, 38, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, has been charged with three counts of sexual abuse of a minor, Montgomery County police said.
Police said the photos Scriber took emphasized "various areas of the female anatomy" and the photos were taken without the students' permission.
A 14-year-old girl reported to police on Oct. 5, 2015 she was taking an exam in Scriber's classroom after school. When she approached Scriber to ask a question about the test, she noticed he was holding a cell phone and appeared to be taking photos underneath her skirt, she told police.
The girl said she jumped back and distanced herself from Scriber. When she finished the exam she went home and told her family about the incident, police said. Her report launched an investigation into Scriber, police said.
On Oct. 6, 2015, a detective talked to Scriber about the incident and Scriber agreed to allow the detective to look at photos on his cell phone.
The detective came across photos of girls who appeared to be in a classroom and showed specific areas of the girls' bodies. When Scriber realized the detective was viewing those photos, he tried to grab the phone, police said.
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Police said the detective seized the phone and obtained a search warrant to search the phone for more evidence.
Police identified three students in the photos, including two 17-year-old girls and one 16-year-old girl.
Police obtained a warrant for Scriber's arrest and said he turned himself in on Wednesday.
In a letter sent home to parents, the principal of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School said Montgomery County Public Schools immediately placed Scriber on leave in October 2015 and he is no longer working for the school system.
Read below for the full letter from Principal Donna Redmond Jones:
"I am writing to inform you that Todd Scriber, a former teacher at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (B-CC), has been arrested on three counts of sexual abuse of a minor. According to the Montgomery County Police Department, the charges stem from Mr. Scriber’s use of his cell phone to take photographs of female B-CC students, without their permission or knowledge, in his classroom during class time.
"Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has fully cooperated with the Montgomery County Police Department and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office on this matter. Pursuant to our memorandum of understanding with these agencies and MCPS policies and regulations, the Special Victims Investigations Division of the Montgomery County Police Department restricted us from sharing any details broadly with the community to avoid prejudicing the ongoing investigation.
"We immediately placed Mr. Scriber on leave after being made aware of the allegations in October 2015, and he is no longer employed with MCPS.
"I know that our community finds the allegations in the charging document as disturbing as I do. The charges represent a serious breach of trust, responsibility, integrity and the law. We expect and require our employees to be held to a high standard of character, and these allegations certainly violate that. Please know that we take the safety and security of our students seriously, and we work every day to ensure that we maintain a safe learning environment for our students. If you have additional questions, please contact me at 240-740-0407. Also, if you or your child has any information that may be helpful to the investigation, I ask that you call the Special Victims Investigations Division of the Montgomery County Police Department at 240-773-5400."
