FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – A Fernandina Beach teacher was arrested Monday after confessing to detectives about an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old high school senior during the past school year, according to the Fernandina Beach Police Department.
Daniel Wright, 32, was charged with a sex offense involving a minor and is currently in custody at the Nassau County Jail. Wright (pictured below) has been a TV production and digital design teacher at Fernandina Beach High School for the past two years and formerly taught at Hilliard High School.
The student in question has since graduated from high school and is now an adult, police said.
Parents were shocked when they learned of the arrest.
"I think it's disgusting," said Pam Galvan. "People like doctors or priests, once you're in a profession like that when you have authority over a child, you can't cross (those) moral lines."
According to court documents, the Fernandina Beach police initially investigated a rumor of an inappropriate relationship between Wright and the student in April. A parent of two Fernandina Beach High students had reported to the police that his children had, on separate occasions, heard a rumor of an inappropriate relationship between Wright and the student.
The detective's investigation in April, which included interviews with Wright and the student, did not uncover any additional evidence or information that would warrant an arrest.
According to the court documents, last week, Wright's wife and sister-in-law, who is also a teacher at Fernandina Beach High, reported additional information to the FBPD about the relationship between Wright and the student.
A former student's mother had told Wright's sister-in-law that she had recently seen Wright and the student together in Wright's vehicle. The sister-in-law told Wright's wife, who confronted Wright, and he confessed to having a relationship with the student.
Wright admitted the relationship included sexual activity but said that that had not occurred until after the student's 18th birthday.
According to the court documents, Wright's wife confronted the student by phone, and the student confessed she had been involved in a sexual relationship with Wright since February.
Police interviewed the student, who confirmed the relationship and stated at least two sexual encounters with Wright occurred before her 18th birthday. She said the relationship continued after her high school graduation and 18th birthday.
On Monday, Wright voluntarily went to the FBPD, where he explained his involvement in the alleged relationship, according to the court documents. Wright initially denied a sexual relationship with the student occurred before her 18th birthday, but he later admitted to one sexual encounter before the student's 18th birthday, according to the court documents.