A substitute teacher was arrested and is facing charges after at least four students reported an incident that occurred during class, according to the Orlando Police Department.
Daniel Huerta, 26, was working at Howard Middle School when several students say he was touching himself, visibly aroused and looking at nude photos while in a classroom with students, police said.
An officer from OPD spoke with each of the students who reported Huerta to the school. They each described nude images on his phone, Huerta touching himself inside and outside of his pants and him laughing with a “witches laugh.” The students in the 7th-grade class were able to identify Huerta in a photo line-up.
Dr. John McHale, the school principal, notified Kelly Education, the company that provides all substitute teachers for Orange County Public Schools.
The company then notified Huerta, who told police he had been working as a substitute teacher for Kelly Education since December 2024 and works in classrooms from kindergarten through high school.
Huerta explained to police that he was scrolling on Instagram during class, and that there may have been some close-up images of women in bikinis on his feed.
OPD said Huerta admitted to touching himself in the classroom with students present. Police collected evidence from Huerta at his home, and discovered bodily fluids on the jeans he was wearing the day of the incident.
WESH 2 reached out to Kelly Education regarding the incident and they provided the following statement:
Huerta is being charged with offenses against students by authority figures and committing an unnatural or lascivious act. He was arrested and has since posted his $6,000 bond.
