WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Winter Park High School band director is accused of recording sex acts with a former student and sharing sexually explicit photos via a social media messaging app.
Police began investigating Christopher Michael Blackmer, 47, on Jan. 28 after a witness reported inappropriate messages sent by the band director that contained nude images of a former student. The witness later sent screenshots of 45 Instagram messages from Blackmer from May 16, 2018 to January 2019.
According to the arrest warrant, the messages included images of a naked male. Blackmer told Winter Park police officers the images were a few years old and he claimed to have got them through another social media platform. Based on that information, investigators said they believe the person in those images was a juvenile.
With a search warrant, investigators searched Blackmer's iPhone and found several videos of Blackmer performing sex acts on a person, according to the arrest warrant. Investigators later identified the person in those videos as a former Colonial High School student.
According to the arrest warrent, the victim was likely 16 or 17 years old when the videos were made. Blackmer would have been 42 at the time, police said. A forensic extraction of the videos and images indicated they were recorded in August 2014.
Blackmer was arrested Friday on possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony. He was booked into the Orange County Jail with a $5,000 bail.
Blackmer has worked at the band director since 2013, according to Orange County Public Schools.
Blackmer has been on administrative leave since Jan. 31, according to a school spokesperson. The district was made aware of his arrest Friday.
Winter Park police said the investigation into Blackmer is ongoing and they are working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
This is a developing story and will be updated.