A teacher has been accused of luring a minor for sexual exploitation after a 14-year-old girl called a crisis hotline, according to court documents.
On Sept. 8, the Phoenix Police Department responded to a call after receiving a report from the Department of Child Safety that a teen might have been abused, documents said.
The girl reported to the hotline that she was possibly being groomed by her seventh- and eighth-grade PE teacher at Global Academy of Phoenix Middle School near 39th and Maryland avenues, according to documents.
The hotline notified DCS, who in turn notified police.
During an interview with officers, the teen said she had been communicating with her teacher, Reno Ferris, 29, on various social media platforms since mid-August, documents
said.
During these conversations, Ferris made her feel validated and offered his help while she was sad and depressed, she said. The girl craved his validation, and she felt attached to Ferris, though she knew it was inappropriate, she said.
The teen worried about what might happen to him if anyone found out about their conversations, as she felt as though Ferris was the only one who understood her, documents said.
Ferris acknowledged the age gap between the two and said that he liked it, court documents said.
Ferris sent photos of himself to the girl over Snapchat and two pornographic videos on X, according to court documents.
Officers were able to confirm that Ferris was the owner of the X account after examining the teen's devices, documents said.
Ferris was apprehended on Sept. 16. During an interview with officers, Ferris admitted to having inappropriate conversations with the teen in which they "sexually teased" each other, which he also described as "flirting," documents said.
Ferris said he was the teen's teacher when she was in eighth grade and didn't know her current age but guessed she was 16, the documents said. He denied sending any nudes of himself or requesting any from her but did admit to sending pornographic videos, documents said.
Ferris said he knew what he was doing was wrong and that she was underage but didn't stop their interactions since he was "consumed by it," according to court documents. He said they never met in person and only exchanged messages.
Ferris had a secured appearance bond set at $75,000 and was due back in court Sept. 23, according to court records.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix PE teacher accused of grooming former student, court docs say
