BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — A substitute teacher who is charged with soliciting a minor sent his alleged victim hundreds of texts and pulled him from class daily, according to the police report obtained by Target 8.

Leslie Eric Miller, 68, was arraigned Friday afternoon on one count of accosting a child for immoral purposes. Bond was set at $1,000 cash surety.

Miller, who was contracted through EduStaff, substitute taught at Lakeview Middle and High School in Battle Creek, according to the police report, which Target 8 obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The district removed him from his position after a middle school student reported Miller had made inappropriate comments to him.

The student’s mother, whose name Target 8 is not using to protect his identity, said she got a call from her son on Oct. 29.

“My son called me and let me know he was in the bathroom because his substitute teacher had just tried to sexually harass him,” she recounted.

She said she told him to stay where he was, immediately called police and headed to the school.

After investigating, the Battle Creek Police Department said it found there had been “inappropriate communication between the substitute teacher and student.” There was no inappropriate physical contact, police said. Miller was arrested Thursday, accused of soliciting the student.

“Miller had (the victim) sit directly next to the teacher’s desk where Miller was sitting,” wrote a detective with the Battle Creek Police Department in the case report. “Miller began whispering things to (the victim) in a low volume. Miller told (the victim) that he had a surprise for (him) when he turned 18 years old.”

When the middle school-aged student, who has special needs, asked why he could not receive the surprise for his next birthday, Miller allegedly replied, “Because I would go to jail.”

“(The victim) continued asking what the surprise would be,” wrote the investigator in the report. “Miller answered by saying it was to ‘hook up’ in bed. Miller then stated, ‘You’ll find out when you turn 18 or maybe on your 14th birthday. Miller continued making sexual advancements to (the victim) by saying, ‘I want to please you.’”

The middle schooler told police that Miller began speaking more explicitly.

“(The victim) explained multiple times that he was scared at this point and his head began to hurt,” wrote the detective on the case.

Miller apparently recognized the student’s discomfort.

“As some of the other students were leaving the classroom, (the victim) began to leave the classroom as well,” reported the investigator. “According to (the victim), Miller approached him, grabbed his arms and said, ‘I thought you were into me. Please don’t tell anyone or something bad will happen to you.’”

Investigators found hundreds of messages between Miller and the student over the course of a year, according to the police report.

“I did observe multiple messages from Miller to (the victim) saying ‘I love you’ or ‘I miss you,'” the detective wrote.

The student’s mother told Target 8 that Miller had regularly been pulling her son out of class for more than a year.

“(The victim) explained to me that Miller routinely provided him with ‘passes’ to leave class and come to whatever class Miller was teaching,” wrote a detective with the Battle Creek Police Department. “(The victim) provided me with a handwritten school note and/or pass written by Miller. … The note reads … ‘pass to see Mr. Miller today on 10/29/2024 for lunch.’”

“I don’t understand why the school or the staff … didn’t care to even ask, ‘Hey, why are you getting this child out of this class? You’re not authorized to get this child out of this class,'” the mother said. “Why come and get this child out of class multiple times out the week, every week, for over a year? How no one saw that, I don’t understand that. It’s not right at all, not at all.”

She said her son previously told her that the substitute offered to take him out for treats outside of school hours and she told him no, acknowledging it was not normal.

“His grades had kind of been falling and I didn’t really know why. As this is coming to light, now I have a clear understanding as to why his behavior drastically changed. My child had been angry. I didn’t know why he was angry,” she said. “It’s terrible. I hate the thought of it.”

She said her son has begged her not to go back to Lakeview Middle. She said she trusted the school to care for her child and felt staff failed to do that.

“I don’t feel safe with my son going to that school,” she said.

In a statement, the Lakeview School District told Target 8 that it immediately removed Miller from the district after learning of the allegations. It said it takes every allegation seriously and has cooperated with law enforcement. The district said it was “committed to the health and well-being of its educational community” and to creating a safe academic environment.

Police said they don’t think any other students were involved but said anyone with information can call them at 269.781.0911.