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Nutley High School teacher Richard Dunn, 58, was charged with lewdness and child endangerment on allegations of "inappropriate behavior" while teaching, local police announced.
A student videotaped Dunn touching himself in a classroom on Feb. 1, and on March 10, was caught by multiple female students masturbating at his desk and acting "weird" during a digital media class, NJ Advance Media says citing charging documents.
Police launched an investigation on March 11, Nutley Police Director Alphonse Petracco and Chief Thomas Strumolo said.
Dunn was also charged with one count of child endangerment in connection with an incident that occurred Feb. 1 while subbing another class, police said.
He was arrested Tuesday, March 15 near Prospect and Race Streets without incident and taken to police headquarters for processing. He was detained in the Essex County Jail.
"Protecting the children, and the residents of this community is our number one concern," the police director said. "When police are called upon to investigate allegations as serious as the ones reported last week, we prioritize our efforts to ensure no one is at risk."
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Dunn was a Nutley teacher. Dunn was a substitute teacher. The story has been corrected to reflect that.
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