Teacher accused of sex with student says it was 'worth it'

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Jason Michael Tarlton, a teacher at Lake Weir High School in Florida, has been arrested and charged after it was revealed that he had been sleeping with a former student. (MARION COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE)

A Florida teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student said it would be "worth it" if he got caught, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Jason Michael Tarlton, an employee of Lake Weir High School, was investigated by local deputies after a school resource officer caught wind of numerous inappropriate images of the teacher and his victim uploaded to the social media app After School on Tuesday.

One photo showed Tarlton, 30, and the student, who has not been identified, partially nude in a hotel mirror. Another image was of Tarlton completely undressed.

Speaking to deputies, the victim said that she was no longer a student at Lake Weir High School, but noted that Tarlton was her teacher the previous year.

She also admitted that the two had been sexually involved.

"She said that Tarlton told her that he loved her and if he ever got caught, he said she was 'worth it,' " the Marion County Sheriff's Office's statement revealed.

The victim claimed she accidentally uploaded the photos of herself and Tarlton to the After School app.

After speaking with the young woman, deputies visited Tarlton's residence and arrested him.

While taking him into custody, officers spotted a printed copy of the Florida statutes for Chapter 948.30, which pertains to probation and community control as it related to sex offenses, on the passenger seat of his vehicle.

The paperwork had been printed that same day.

Tarlton has been charged with a single count of sexual assault by a custodian — victim between the ages of 12-18 years old.

He posted $10,000 bond and was released from Marion County Jail, the Sheriff's office revealed.