UPDATE: Case Dismissed Against Teacher Arrested For Showing Porn To Child
THIS STORY WAS UPDATED ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2015:
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The case against a South Florida man, accused of showing porn on his cellphone to his girlfriend's six-year-old child, has been dismissed by prosecutors, according to court records.
The record states the case against Benjamin Menendez was closed on December 3rd, 2013.
No further action will take place in this case.
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A 38-year-old school teacher is in jail on a $5,000 bond for allegedly showing porn on his cellphone to his girlfriend's six-year-old child.
Benjamin Menendez, a fifth grade teacher, was in court Wednesday. The judge lowered the charges from lewd and lascivious to an obscenity charge.
Menendez taught at the Academy of International Education charter school in Miami Springs. Since the incident Menendez has been fired, as told as told by the school's principal to CBS4's David Sutta.
Menendez's actions came to light after the boy's biological father caught his son acting out what he had seen on the video Menendez had showed him.
The six-year-old victim, according to authorities, identified Menendez by the photo on his driver's license.
According to the arrest affidavit Mendendez, after showing the video to this girlfriend's child, asked the kid if he liked it.
In bond court Wednesday, the judge ordered that Menendez "have no contact with those minor children," adding, "You can't visit them. You can't call them. You can't text them. You can't email them."
Henry Duran, a father of two that lives next door to Menendez's South Dade townhouse, said he saw Menendez with kids all the time.
"It's something alarming that you are telling me. That this is a neighbor…that this is going on," said Duran, adding, "Impressive. You never know who's your neighbor."
Parents at the school where Menendez held a position as a fifth grade teacher received a letter alerting them of his arrest.
Vera Hirsh, the AIE Charter's Principal said, "We were informed this afternoon that one of our staff members had been arrested overnight. The staff member was not present today and pursuit to school policy has been terminated. AIE Charter School will cooperate in any investigation as needed."
The school wouldn't comment any further but parents of students had something to say about Menendez's actions.
"I don't trust anybody. I don't trust teachers. I don't put anything past anybody," said Angie Pinedo whose child attends the AIE Charter School.
