Popular Teacher Accused Of Videotaping Kids In The Nude

FORDYCE, Ark. - For years, parents of this town's fifth-graders enjoyed getting photographs of their children dressed as superheroes - pictures taken by a popular teacher.

This week, their children brought something else home from school - a note from state police asking for information about teacher Jon Belvin, who was accused over the weekend of videotaping children in the nude.

"It's hard to believe you can be around somebody as long as we have and not know them," Superintendent Jerry Bush said yesterday.

For his own safety, the 33-year-old fifth-grade teacher was being held at Rison, 16 miles away, in a cell by himself. Bail was set at $150,000. State police were interviewing students, some for as long as 90 minutes, at the town Civic Center.

"It's obvious that it's had a far-reaching impact on the town's psyche," Prosecutor Tom Wynne said.

Some of the students said Belvin gave them clothing as birthday gifts seven years ago and would ask them to try the garments on, state police Lt. Bill Gage said.

Belvin was arrested after the school librarian on Friday retrieved what she thought was a blank videotape he had borrowed. The librarian found that the tape showed students changing clothes in their classroom.

State police searched Belvin's rented home and storage shed and seized three more videotapes.

One six-hour tape shows nude boys and Belvin, off-camera, can be heard saying "If these are good, we might make some money off this," Gage said.

Gage said it appears the videotapes were made in Belvin's classroom, an unidentified residence and in motel rooms, apparently when he traveled with members of the youth baseball team he coached - and their parents - to major league games in St. Louis, Atlanta and Arlington, Texas.

Belvin was charged with one count of engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for use in a visual or print medium and one count of pandering or possessing visual print medium depicting sexual explicit conduct involving a child. The charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.