Ocala Christian Academy Teacher Charged With Digital Voyeurism

A fifth-grade teacher at Ocala Christian Academy, Joel Gould, 34, was arrested after he was accused of taking photographs up the skirt of a student during recess, according to the Ocala Police Department. The incident was alleged to have happened on a Friday, and police said they first received a report about it the following Tuesday from concerned parents.

In a police release, a witness told officers they saw Gould hold his phone underneath a student’s skirt while the student stood on a picnic table beside him. The release states that the student later reported feeling something touch her leg several times and realized it was Gould’s phone with the camera pointed upward. Police said they then interviewed Gould, who admitted to taking photographs underneath the child’s skirt.

Gould was arrested and faces a charge of digital voyeurism, which police said was upgraded to a second-degree felony because of his position of authority over the student.

Brittany Torres, whose son was in Gould’s class two years ago, said she saw the news of the arrest and felt sick because she had been raising concerns about him for years. “I have been speaking about this man for the past two years that something was not right,” Torres said. She said Gould took an unusual interest in her daughter, who was not in his class, and recalled a recess conversation among girls about boys in which Gould interrupted to comment on her daughter. “I thought it was weird he singled her out,” Torres said. She also said students joked that Gould gave preference to girls, while boys were disciplined more often for minor behavior. These are Torres’s statements and have not been established by the police findings.

After the arrest, the school sent an email to parents stating that nothing is more important than the safety of the children entrusted to its care. Gould was fired and is no longer permitted on church or school property.

Records show the school’s principal had previously tried to report concerns to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office but was told there was not enough evidence to proceed. Gould remained in the classroom with students for several more days before his arrest. It is unclear how that determination was made. The arrest report says the principal contacted Paul Bloom with the sheriff’s office. The report also notes that Bloom sits on the school’s board of directors and that he told the school it could not act and should report the matter to Ocala police.

Anyone with information about Gould, or who may have experienced inappropriate contact involving him, is urged to contact the Ocala Police Department at (352) 369-7000.

Source: Read the original report