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Iowa 6th-grade teacher accused of sexting former student

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June 26th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — Police have arrested a southeastern Iowa sixth-grade teacher accused of sending sexually-charged messages and pictures to a 13-year-old former student. The Ottumwa Courier reports that police arrested 35-year-old Zachary Barr, of Ottumwa, on Monday. Barr is a sixth-grade teacher at Evans Middle School, but school district officials said Tuesday he had been place on administrative leave.

Police received a complaint June 8 from a woman who said her daughter had received inappropriate messages via social media from Barr, a former teacher to the girl. Police then contacted Barr pretending to be the girl and say he asked her to send him nude photos. Police say he also sent photos of his genitals.

Barr is charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, sexual exploitation by a school employee and dissemination and exhibition of obscene materials to a minor. He faces more than 30 years in prison if convicted.