Maryland Teacher Paid Student For Sex, Charged With Sexual Solicitation

A former Maryland teacher was charged with sex offenses, including solicitation involving one of his students.

According to the court records, the incidents took place between April and September 2019, when 25-year-old Jaron Anthonee Darden taught vocal music at Edgewood Middle School. Darden took a photograph of a student’s body part and uploaded it on a “fetish social media account” that he handled. He also paid the student for sex, however, instead of performing the sex act, the student informed the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

The teacher was placed on paid administrative leave on Aug. 22, 2019, and was later terminated.

He was taken into custody on June 12 and transported to the Harford County Detention Center. He was charged with sexual solicitation of a minor, prostitution and human trafficking of a minor among other charges Tuesday (June 16). The accused was released after posting a $5,000 bond.

Meanwhile, speaking of his charges, Jillian Lader, spokeswoman for Harford County Public Schools, said, "There is a communication scheduled to go to the families at Edgewood Middle School to make them aware.”

Investigation was ongoing and anyone with any information relating to Darden was asked to contact Detective Carey Gerres at 410-638-3294.

The incident comes days after a Maryland teacher was charged with multiple sex offenses, including rape and molestation. The accused, identified as 51-year-old John David Hobbs, taught at Bel Air Middle School from 1998 until 2018.

He then taught at Patterson Mill High School from July 2018 until he was placed on administrative in February 2019. While teaching at Bel Air Middle School, he sexually abused his student on multiple occasions from 1999 to 2000. He was arrested on June 10 and charged with third-degree sex offense, child abuse molestation and second-degree rape the following day. He was scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 7.

In a similar incident earlier this month, a former Michigan teacher pleaded guilty to taking numerous sexually-explicit pictures of boys. James Verne Russell, 50, sexually abused a boy from “from the ages of 8 to 12 years old and also took thousands of inappropriate nude photos.’’ He targeted another 6-year-old boy and took photos of him "displaying his naked pubic area and genitals.” Russel was arrested in 2019 and pleaded guilty to "sexual exploitation of a minor involving two boys" on June 2.