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COJ.net > News > School Dean Arrested - More Victims Likely

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School Dean Arrested - More Victims Likely

July 30, 2025

A 27-year-old former Jacksonville charter school teacher and school dean is behind bars on multiple felony charges related to child sexual abuse.

James Tellis is facing felony charges of sexual battery on a child, offenses against students by an authority figure, soliciting a child online, and unlawful use of a communication device.

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) Special Assault Unit detectives learned that during the 2023 – 2024 school year, Tellis sexually abused a preteen student, used Instagram’s Vanish Mode to hide messages, and sent the victim money. At the time, he was a teacher at a charter school on the Westside. He subsequently resigned from that school and became the dean at a different charter school in Arlington. That school terminated Tellis following his arrest.

Investigators recovered conversations containing evidence of the abuse and discussions of future sexual activity. Detectives believe there may be additional victims and are asking the public for information.

JSO Community Problem Response (CPR) officers arrested Tellis at his Oakleaf home on Friday, July 25, 2025. He is currently being held at the John E. Goode Pretrial Detention Facility (Duval County Jail) without bond.

JSO detectives are in close communication with Meta and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the potential for more victims. These investigations take time.

Parents and Guardians are asked to please talk with their children about the risks of abuse and the importance of speaking up.

Anyone with information about James Tellis or other potential crimes, is asked to please call police immediately at 904.630.0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org.

To remain anonymous and be eligible for a possible reward of up to $3,000, contact First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1.866.845.TIPS (8477).

To access the arrest report and booking photo for this case, please visit the Published Media Requests page on JSO's Public Records Portal and search "M474857" in the Reference No. section.

To view the post about this arrest on JSO's Facebook page, please click here.
To view the post about this arrest on JSO's Instagram page, please click here.

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