Massachusetts middle school teacher accused of sending inappropriate photo to teenage boy

TEWKSBURY – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Tewksbury Chief of Police Ryan Columbus have confirmed that Jaryd Palmer, 34 of Andover, has been charged with disseminating obscene matter to a minor in connection with allegedly sending a partially nude photo of himself to a 16-year-old male, who is known to him, using the social media application Snapchat.

Palmer was arraigned today in Lowell District Court. Judge William Travaun Bailey set bail at $500 cash with conditions that he stay away from and have no contact with the victim and that he not abuse the victim. He was also ordered to have no unsupervised contact with children. The next date is July 1, 2022.

The defendant was arrested yesterday by Tewksbury Police after the parents of a 16-year-old boy reported to police that their son had been communicating with Palmer over Snapchat and that the defendant had allegedly sent him a photo of his genitals. The juvenile reportedly asked the defendant not to send him Snapchats of that nature and took a screenshot of the image before reporting it to his parents. The subsequent investigation into this matter revealed that the defendant is currently working as a middle school teacher in Lowell Public Schools.

“This case serves as an important reminder to parents and children that it is critical to have open and honest communication around social media,” said District Attorney Ryan. “We need to remind our young people that if something is happening online that is making them uncomfortable, feels in appropriate, or in this case is illegal, they need to immediately report it to a trusted adult.”

This case is being investigated by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Tewksbury Police.