Dutchtown Teacher Arrested For Sharing Explicit Content With Students
A Dutchtown Teacher was arrested for sharing explicit pictures with the students for more than five years.
A former Ascension Parish teacher of the year and finalist for the statewide H. Norman Saurage III Service Award, Mark Ebarb, has been arrested on allegations of sharing inappropriate messages and photographs with underage students for over five years.
Ebarb, 32, who teaches English at Dutchtown High School, surrendered to the authorities on the morning of December 4, 2019.
A parish grand jury indicted him on a single count of indecent behavior with a juvenile under 17, but prosecutors said the charge reflects several allegations involving multiple students. The inappropriate activity is alleged to have started on August 1, 2014.
Neither the prosecutors nor grand jurors described the content of the messages and images Ebarb is accused of sharing.
He remained employed by the school system on Wednesday, but a system spokeswoman said they were researching their next steps in the wake of his arrest.
Ebarb was also involved with summer writing camps for incoming first-year students at Dutchtown High and worked for the St. John Primary/St. Theresa Middle Summer Camp in Gonzales for several years.
He was removed from his role as a lector and Eucharistic minister at Christ the King Parish in Baton Rouge when the pastor became aware of his administrative leave from Dutchtown High School and ongoing investigation.
The Ascension Sheriff’s office received a complaint on October 18 about Ebarb’s sharing of images and messages with students.
Detectives conducted an extensive investigation and found that Ebarb was engaged in sharing inappropriate messages and photographs with multiple students.
The evidence and statements were handed over to the 23rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, but detectives did not seek an arrest warrant.
In a statement, Schools Superintendent David Alexander said, “Whenever there is suspected inappropriate interaction between an employee and a student, we report it to law enforcement, as required, and conduct an internal investigation. We are committed to the safety of our students and expect all staff to adhere to the highest ethical practices and conduct.”
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7t7XZmpqaZpOkunCw1K2aoayfrLtuwMSamqGdomKus77ErKuenF8%3D