TOMS RIVER, NJ — A teacher at Toms River Intermediate North has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child, after he sent inappropriate photos of himself to a student, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced Tuesday.
Kyle W. Banner, 48, of Brick, is being held at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River pending a detention hearing, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Banner also is a professor at Ocean County College.
Administrators at Toms River Intermediate North were notified on April 23 that Banner, who teaches eighth grade history, had posted pornographic photographs of himself to his public Twitter profile, Billhimer said.
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Banner was suspended from his teaching position without pay the next day, the prosecutor said. Banner’s status with Ocean County College was not immediately available.
Investigators determined that Banner had taken the pornographic photos of himself in his classroom at Intermediate North, and that students had seen the pornographic photos on Banner’s public Twitter profile, Billhimer said.
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Detectives also discovered that Banner sent inappropriate photographs of himself to a student via Snapchat in October 2022, the prosecutor said.
Detectives also recovered numerous images of Banner masturbating in his classroom at Toms River Intermediate North, the prosecutor said.
Banner has been charged with official misconduct and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, Billhimer said.
“I would encourage parents to have a conversation with their children if they had this defendant as a teacher,” Billhimer said.
Anyone with additional information regarding the investigation should contact Detective Graham Borg of the Toms River Police Department at 732-349-0150, or Detective Stephanie Bayha of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027, ext. 3861
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit collaborated on the investigation.
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