Florida Gym Teacher Sent Sexually Suggestive Texts To 14-Year-Old Student, Police Say

A teacher at a Christian school in central Florida was arrested Saturday for sending inappropriate texts to a female student after the girl’s mother discovered the messages on her daughter’s phone.

Police in DeLand, Florida, arrested 69-year-old Stephen M. Ward, a physical education teacher and volleyball coach at Stetson Baptist Christian School in Volusia County, after the 14-year-old girl's mother said she found a sexually explicit conversation between Ward and the teen and notified authorities, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Ward was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail where he remains on $10,000 bond as of Monday, jail records show.

The instructor was charged with using an electronic device to seduce, solicit and lure a child and using a two-way communication device to commit a felony, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

A deputy from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office responded to a call around 1:19 a.m. on Saturday to the victim’s residence after the girl’s mother said she discovered an explicit text conversation between her daughter and Ward.

The messages Ward reportedly sent were sexually suggestive and detailed him performing sexual acts on the girl, police said. The victim told officers that she had been in a romantic relationship with Ward over a two-week span but denied ever having sex with him.

Dan Glenn, a pastor at Stetson Baptist Church, addressed the situation on Sunday in a statement during a livestream on the church’s website, reported WMKG, a CBS affiliate in Orlando.

During the address, he said that Ward had been accused of "attempting to begin an improper relationship with a minor."

Glenn added that Ward was placed on unpaid administrative leave and that the school is working with authorities as the investigation continues.

"In the meantime, as a church our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in this situation. Especially the young woman involved and her family," Glenn said.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is asking other possible victims to come forward.