Manatee teacher arrested after sharing nude photo with student, deputies say
Deputies arrested a Manatee County school teacher Monday night after she sent a nude photo to one of her students, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Oliver Fell, 28, faces charges of lewd conduct with a student by an authority figure, a second-degree felony and a third-degree felony of transmission of harmful material to a minor, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Tuesday.
Detectives said a 14-year-old student at Haile Middle School reported the allegations on March 3, telling a school resource deputy that Fell began messaging him in December and used the Snapchat social media platform to share an explicit photo on Jan. 2.
Haile Middle School Principal Irene Nikitopoulos acknowledged the arrest in a message to families Tuesday, telling parents that the district reassigned Fell after it was notified of the confirmed allegations. She said the district continues to cooperate with the investigation.
Detectives with the Crimes Against Children Unit launched an investigation, obtained search warrants and confirmed that the explicit photo of a nude breast belonged to Fell and that she had communicated with the student multiple times over several weeks, according to the sheriff’s office.
Snapchat provided additional evidence on May 12, allowing deputies to obtain arrest warrants, according to a news release.
Fell turned herself in on Monday and was booked at the Manatee County Jail, where she remains in custody on $2,500 bond, according to the sheriff’s office website.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office by calling (941) 747-3011.
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 10:09 AM.
