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Ryle High School coach charged with taking photos of nude girl in restroom

Mark Fowler accused of putting pictures online
Ryle High School coach charged with taking photos of nude girl in restroom
Posted at 1:41 PM, May 16, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-17 06:59:33-04

UNION, Ky. – An assistant swim coach at Ryle High School, since fired, is charged with taking photos of a nude juvenile girl and uploading them to a SmugMug account, according to officials.

Mark Fowler, 53, of the 1100 block of Grindstone Court, took the photos while the girl changed clothes in a restroom Monday evening, according to the Boone County Sheriff's Office. 

Fowler was fired from his coaching job at Ryle after his arrest, according to Barbara Brady, schools/community relations coordinator for Boone County Schools. Fowler had been a "part-time, paraprofessional" coach since July 2015, Brady said.

The girl was not a student at Boone County Schools and the incident did not occur on school grounds, Brady said.

School counselors and psychologists are available for any Ryle students who had Fowler as a part-time coach, Brady said.

Fowler has been charged with four counts of promoting a sexual performance by a minor (Class B felony) and four counts of possess/view of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor (Class D felony), according Major tom Scheben of the sheriff's office.

Detectives served a search warrant on the premises and seized electronic media to be examined, Scheben said.

Fowler was taken to the Boone County Detention Center. A judge set bond at $25,000.