HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — A 33-year-old teacher was arrested on Wednesday for sending inappropriate messages to a 14-year-old student for several months in Hernando County, a news release said.
According to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, George Beall messaged the teen every day even though the teen had very little interaction and often gave one-word responses.
During an interview, the teen told detectives that “they felt bad ending the conversations” because Beall had cancer and they were Beall’s “only friend,” the sheriff’s office said.
The 14-year-old told detectives the conversations were "weird" considering the age difference between the two and the fact Beall sent daily messages.
The sheriff’s office said detectives noted that the 33-year-old would get upset when the teen didn’t respond or was not interested in playing games on the PlayStation.
When detectives spoke with Beall, he confirmed that he had been communicating with the teen via text message, Snapchat and PlayStation and that the pair spoke about “anything and everything” and sent photos of themselves to each other.
The sheriff’s office said Beall told detectives that he had no memory of any messages containing sexual overtones when he was asked about certain messages.
On Beall's cell phone, detectives reportedly located numerous GIFs and emojis that had been sent to the victim. Deputies said the GIFs and emoji's contained hearts and references to love.
The 33-year-old was charged with transmission of harmful material to a minor and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
There is currently no indication of other victims, deputies said. If any parent or caregiver has information regarding inappropriate communication or interaction between Beall and a child in their care, please contact the Hernando County Sheriff's Office.