FARMINGTON — A judge set bail at $5,000 cash Monday for a Jay high school teacher charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and trying to coerce the victim to destroy evidence.

Jan Barlow Franklin County Detention Center photo

Jan Barlow, 47, of Auburn appeared via Zoom from the Franklin County Detention Center in Farmington before Judge Sarah Churchill. She ordered him to turn over his passport and other passport-related items to the county jail before he can be released.

Jay police arrested Barlow on Saturday in Auburn on one count each of sexual exploitation of a minor and tampering with a victim. Each carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000.

The alleged incidents occurred from Feb. 1 to March 7.

Regional School Unit 73 Superintendent Scott Albert placed Barlow on paid administrative leave Feb. 27 after receiving a parental complaint about an inappropriate teacher-student relationship.

He is listed on a staff directory as an art teacher at Spruce Mountain High School. He has been a teacher with the district since 2010.

Due to the nature of the complaint, Jay police, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine Department of Education’s certification and credentialing department were contacted, Albert said.

According to an affidavit filed in a Farmington court by school resource officer Anthony York, a corporal with the Jay Police Department, the mother caught Barlow and the fully-dressed victim on FaceTime together.

At one time, the two allegedly exchanged nude photos of themselves, according to the affidavit.

The victim got Barlow’s number off his art website and contacted him. The two started chatting more and when York asked if the victim had the messages, he was told they were deleted because of space concerns on the phone, the officer wrote.

The phone, password and charger were given to York to review and he was able to see one of the deleted messages and a video screen recording listed as “no contact.” One video conversation stated “we need to have a code word on when we can talk. “‘Red’ means we can not talk. ‘Green’ means we can talk,” according to the affidavit.

The rest of the video showed the text messages being deleted. The conversations were deleted Feb. 18, which matches the time Barlow and the victim were on FaceTime, York wrote.

Barlow allegedly tried to have the victim delete evidence, Police Chief Joe Sage said previously.

A school official also told York that Barlow reached out to the victim on a school email when he was told not to.

York turned the phone over to Det. Maurice Drouin at the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office to analyze the contents.

York also wrote that the victim disclosed to him that Barlow said it would be nothing to pack up and take off to Thailand. During the search of Barlow’s home Saturday, a passport was seen in a drawer and notes were found about looking into moving out of state, according to the affidavit.

“There was writing about leaving the state and moving to Ohio,” York wrote. “Jan, on the way to jail, also disclosed to me that he was looking for other jobs possibly out of state. At this time, I believe Jan is a flight risk.”

Assistant District Attorney Claire Andrews said Monday that the state was concerned that Barlow would flee the state and that he also also mentioned that he was looking to move out of the country.

Sarah Glynn, who was representing Barlow on Monday, said he has no criminal history and told her his passport was expired. She also said he was going to hire an attorney.

Judge Churchill said the passport, regardless of it being expired, must be turned in. Barlow is also prohibited from contacting the victim and the mother.

He is scheduled to be arraigned May 6 in Farmington District Court.