"Their relationship escalated to video calls, sending explicit photos, and receiving money via Cash App in exchange for pictures," says the arrest report.
A Miami school teacher is accused of paying a 13-year-old student to send him explicit photos.
Police arrested Mauricio Ruiz, 30, on Friday on a felony charge of offenses against a student by an authority figure, according to court records.
He did not enter a plea during his first court appearance and was released from jail the following day after posting his $7,500 bail.
A school resource officer first reported Ruiz to law enforcement after learning a 13-year-old girl was in a relationship with Ruiz, who was her former teacher at South Miami High, according to an arrest report obtained by NBC Miami.
Ruiz and the girl allegedly began communicating while she was in the sixth grade, and a student in one of his classes, according to the report.
"Their relationship escalated to video calls, sending explicit photos, and receiving money via Cash App in exchange for pictures," says the report.
The report says that Ruiz sent the girl $50 for those pictures.
Ruiz also allegedly sent nude photos of himself to the girl, according to the report.
At one point, Ruiz replaced the girl's math teacher and would sit in the back of the class and place his hand on her thigh under the guise of tutoring her, says the report.
The school district responded to Ruiz's arrest in a statement on Monday.
"Miami-Dade County Public Schools is deeply troubled by the disturbing allegations made against this individual," read the statement. "After a thorough investigation by the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department and, as per the State Attorney’s Office, the individual was subsequently arrested. Conduct such as the one the employee is accused of will not be tolerated. As such, his employment with the District has been terminated and the individual is precluded from seeking future employment with Miami-Dade County Public Schools."
Ruiz does not have lawyer assigned to his case and did not respond to a request for comment.
