MIAMI – A 37-year-old teacher — who was accused of using WhatsApp to send text messages of his genitals to a 17-year-old student — walked out of jail on Thursday in Miami-Dade County.
The student alerted the staff at Mater Academy, a charter school in Cutler Bay, about the sexual text messages that Alberto Hernandez had sent him, and the school staff reported it to the police.
After an investigation, officers arrested Hernandez on Wednesday. He told detectives he had meant to send the messages to someone else, according to the arrest report.
On Thursday, Hernandez did not answer questions and used a board to try to cover his face outside of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
The school staff sent a message to parents reporting that the school had terminated Hernandez after “the incident” which happened during the winter break.
Hernandez is facing a charge of electronic transmission of material harmful to minors.
Court records show a judge ordered him to stay away from the victim and set his bond at $2,500. His arraignment hearing is at 9 a.m., on Feb. 16.