FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Broward County Public Schools teacher accused of sharing explicit videos of children in online chat groups faced a judge on Thursday.
The court hearing came one day after Coral Springs police announced the arrest of Craig Rogers, who worked as a physical education teacher at Westchester Elementary School for more than two decades before being reassigned over an unrelated matter in April.
Police said Rogers, 60, described himself as a “pervert teacher” in groups on the Kik messaging app and shared child sexual abuse videos depicting victims as young as 6.
An arrest report states he also shared photos of “clothed students engaged in physical education,” photos of his genitals taken from his office and told another Kik user, “My favorite students are age 12 at my school.”
The investigation came after a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The educator was arrested at a Coral Springs motel where he was living.
Rogers was given a $52,500 bond on seven child pornography charges but it wasn’t clear whether he would be released.
He also faces a stalking charge that led to his reassignment in April. Rogers was accused of stalking and harassing a family living next door to him.
It was not clear whether that case, for which he was out on bond, would ultimately prevent his release.
“I might not be able to go home today?” Rogers asked his attorney.
“We’re going to work on that,” his attorney replied. “You may have a hold on it in a misdemeanor case, but I’ll work on it.”
As of Thursday, Rogers remained in the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail facility in Fort Lauderdale.
BCPS officials said Wednesday that they were “deeply disturbed by the allegations and are cooperating fully with law enforcement in its investigation.”