Trinity teacher jailed, accused of unlawful sexual activity with minor

Aaron Zuniga, 28, was arrested at his home

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A teacher at Trinity Christian Academy was booked into the Duval County jail Friday afternoon on a charge of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

Aaron Zuniga, 28, was arrested at his home, which is almost across the Westside school. The details on the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office report are almost totally redacted, but his arrest comes one day after News4Jax learned that a high school teacher at the school was fired over an inappropriate relationship with a high school student, according to a statement from the school.

On Tuesday, the private school on the Westside reported the relationship between the teacher and student to law enforcement and terminated the teacher, the statement said. Parents of students were also alerted.

"We are deeply saddened by this situation because it is so far removed from the standards and values to which we hold our faculty and embrace as a school," the statement reads, in part. "We are committed to offering care and support for the student and all families impacted." 

According to James Baltz, a former student who now works at the school, the fired teacher was a Bible teacher and soccer coach who was popular among students.

"When I heard about it, I was in complete, like, all in shock," Baltz told News4Jax on Thursday. "It's just completely awful that it happened in this environment, especially a Christian environment."

WATCH: Former student, current student react to firing of teacher 

Baemnet Abetew, a 12-grader at TCA, said the teacher's termination has affected everyone at the school.

"It did shock me. I didn’t think anything like this would happen here," Abetew said. "It is scary because it's something that could have happened to me." 

Auna Nix, who has a son who attends TCA, said the situation is heartbreaking.

"It just scares me as a parent," she said. "But I trust the school that they're going to make the right decision." 


About the Authors

Corley Peel is a Texas native and Texas Tech graduate who covered big stories in Joplin, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Jacksonville, Florida before returning to the Lone Star State. When not reporting, Corley enjoys hot yoga, Tech Football, and finding the best tacos in town.

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