Idaho junior high school teacher and coach arrested for allegedly raping teenage boy

(Daily Caller) – A Boise, Idaho, junior high school teacher has been arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old boy, and is facing charges of rape and sexual battery, the Idaho Statesman reports.

Teacher and coach Eric McDermott had taught the alleged victim when the latter was 15 years old, the Statesman reported Tuesday, citing the prosecutor’s statement during the arraignment. McDermott allegedly contacted the boy through a dating hookup site in 2020. He sent nude pictures and communicated with the youth for days before driving him to his home and sexually assaulting him, according to the outlet.

The Boise School District informed Fairmont Junior High parents via letter that McDermott was “immediately” placed on administrative leave once the Boise Police Department notified the school of his arrest, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Daily Caller.

Boise teacher, coach suspected of rape https://t.co/9qtxLjdNk6

— KTVB.COM (@KTVB) April 18, 2023

“We understand that this news will raise concerns about student safety and we want to assure our families that the District is fully cooperating with law enforcement and prosecutors as they investigate this matter,” the letter reads.

McDermott, who was a geography teacher and boys’ basketball coach, is being held on $1 million bail at Ada County Jail as he awaits a preliminary hearing slated for April 27, the Statesman reported.

The Boise Police Department did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.

City prosecutors charged former Fairmont school principal Christopher Ryan with failure to report an alleged inappropriate relationship between a social worker at the Boise junior high school and a young teenage student, the Idaho Capital Sun reported in March. Social worker Scott Crandell allegedly committed suicide as police began looking into an anonymous tip regarding the purported relationship in December 2022. Parents say they were not informed of the alleged relationship, and the ex-principal has pleaded not guilty.