A former teacher from Northern Lebanon School District, Ryan Stewart, 47, has been charged with sending an explicit image to a student. The incident allegedly occurred in May 2024, and the charges were filed on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. Stewart, a resident of Jonestown, Lebanon County, reportedly admitted to sending the image via Snapchat during an interview with investigators, but claimed it was an accident, according to ABC27.
The student, who attended Northern Lebanon Secondary School where Stewart taught science, confronted him about the image. Stewart allegedly responded that he had sent the picture to the wrong person. The student had added Stewart on Snapchat in 2023, but they had never messaged each other prior to the incident.
Stewart faces two felony charges of disseminating sexual explicit material to a minor and unlawful contact with a minor, as well as a misdemeanor charge of corruption of minors. He posted his unsecured bail set at $25,000 and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for September 26, 2024.
The Northern Lebanon School District Superintendent, Dr. Gary Messinger, stated that Stewart has not worked at Northern Lebanon since 2022 and the school district had no information regarding the alleged incident that occurred in May 2024.