SAN ANTONIO — A physical letter and electronic communications revealed a potential sexually-charged relationship between a former high school teacher and 15-year-old student, according to an arrest affidavit.
The investigation led to the arrest of John Ghrist III and now, Castle Hills police are urging other potential victims to contact authorities.
Ghrist, 36, was arrested Tuesday night for online solicitation of a minor, a third degree felony that carries a prison sentence of two to 10 years.
North East ISD learned of the alleged inappropriate communications in June, which prompted an internal investigation and led to Ghrist's resignation as teacher at Churchill High School.
Authorities noted the alleged inappropriate relationship had been taking place since November 2023.
According to arrest documents, the female student sent nude pictures via Snapchat to Ghrist. The affidavit also indicated numerous instances of Ghrist sending sexually-explicit messages to the student.
Castle Hills Assistant Police Chief Tina Vitacco said it's common for there to be more potential victims in cases like this where grooming of minors is suspected.
“There’s a what we call a grooming process that a lot of times the suspects will use with the victims. Starts off with basic friendship and grows into something a little less appropriate," Vitacco said.
That's why Vitacco urges those individuals to come forward.
“Our biggest concern is that there potentially could be other victims that are school aged that we would hope would come forward maybe with the help of their parents or counselor," Vitacco said. “Even if doesn’t turn into a criminal offense, it’s still something we’d like to take a look at and get you a history or pattern with this particular suspect.”