Before He Allegedly Molested a Student in Bible Class, He Was Condemning "Groomers" Online
A Florida Bible teacher, known for preaching "Christian morality" online and accusing LGBTQ+ people of being "groomers," has been arrested for allegedly molesting a middle schooler in his classroom.
Disclaimer: The information presented in this article relates to ongoing legal proceedings. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
According to his bio, Aaron Craig Gleason “is a proud alumnus of Biola University and Talbot Seminary. He teaches philosophy full-time. His writing has appeared in numerous outlets including Hollywood in Toto, The Daily Wire, and The Imaginative Conservative.”
LinkedIn shows that he has worked in education since 2014, and has also been employed by a variety of conservative and evangelical institutions. This includes time as an intern with the California Republican Party, as a philosophy instructor for Valley Christian Schools in San Jose and Liberty University, and most recently, he began working as a middle school teacher at Rocky Bayou Christian School in Niceville, Florida. The “About” section on his LinkedIn account reads, “I see myself as primarily an educator. I am a Christian and a Conservative. I think that everything I do needs to be connected to openly serving my Lord.”
His tweets regularly expressed his proclaimed conservative Christian values, and specifically often condemned atheists, secular education, and the LGBTQ+ movement as a whole with popular “anti-groomer” talking points.
He was also a writer who published to a variety of online sites, including his personal substack and also as a contributor elsewhere, with 70+ articles for The Federalist and two articles for The Daily Wire - notably, both DW articles were written in defense of now-Supreme Court Justice Ryan Kavanaugh in 2018, when Dr. Christine Blasey Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party in the 1980s. He called the NYT article about Kavanaugh a “hit piece” and journalist inquiries into the story “shameless muckraking.”
His work on The Federalist was largely film criticism and commentary.
While light on discussing actual technical merit, his reviews often tended to a bizarre blend of Christian conservative ideology and cultural commentary, often veering into extreme takes.
His vulgar take on the comedy, No Hard Feelings declares that “if nothing in sex matters (except for consent) then, of course, sex does not really matter — it is on the same level as a bowel movement.”
In his review of Barbie, he bizarrely praises Ken’s embrace of the patriarchy, arguing that the film unintentionally makes male dominance look “awesome.”
Even his review of Sound of Freedom – the controversial anti-trafficking film created by Tim Ballard – takes the time to condemn the perceived leftist elite: “While the rich and powerful try to indoctrinate us with critical race theory and other ideological moralisms, true victims suffer in literal cages and chains.”
Among his few non-film centric pieces was an article titled, “No, Ben Shapiro, Adulterous Spouses Shouldn’t Hide The Truth From Their Partners,” in which he says, “Ben [Shapiro] is right that 100 percent honesty in marriage is not the golden rule. Faithfulness and other-centered love is the golden rule of marriage. Your spouse should not have access to every single part of your heart and soul. The only person who can appropriately deal with that is God. Contrary to popular belief, it’s good to maintain healthy emotional boundaries in marriage. Every awful thought you have doesn’t need expression. But, to quote one of my favorite films, 90 percent honesty is probably a good standard for any real relationship.”
In light of the charges Gleason is facing, his passionate writing about sexual perversion, grooming, and declining morality in the culture can’t help but feel supremely hypocritical.
The Alleged Abuse
In December of 2024, the alleged victim - a student under the age of 12 – approached Aaron Gleason - aged 39 – during Bible Class to discuss an assignment.
Gleason was seated at his desk, and at the end of the conversation, Gleason gave her a "side-hug." According to the victim’s testimony to a police officer, this hug began with his hand on her back and moved to her buttocks. Gleason allegedly rubbed his thumb on her buttocks (outside her clothing). Gleason did not stand up during the incident and kept his hand on her buttocks.
The victim's account was corroborated by two independent student witnesses.
The victim also shared that Gleason had made several inappropriate comments that made her uncomfortable. These included asking if she and her boyfriend were planning to cuddle at night, and making a comment about her looking cute with a flower clip in her hair, followed by the question, "Or are you just trying to be deceptive?"
These comments were corroborated by two independent student witnesses. A third witness said he did not hear the comment.
The Investigation
On January 10, 2025, an investigation was initiated into a criminal complaint relating to this incident at Rocky Bayou Christian School. Officer Carlos Poveda interviewed the victim and independent student witnesses, and concluded that probable cause was established to show that Aaron Craig Gleason had violated Florida Law.
The Arrest
On January 28, 2025, Aaron was arrested for lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim that was less than 12 years old by an offender 18 years of age or older. His bond was set at $75,000. Gleason refused to give a statement to law enforcement before consulting an attorney.
In response to Gleason’s arrest, Superintendent Mike Mosley sent an email to parents, which was obtained by Mid Bay News. The email reads:
"I regret to inform you that one of our Middle School teachers was arrested today by local law enforcement officers. The teacher has been on paid administrative leave and off-campus for two weeks. RBCS is fully cooperating with authorities in this matter until authorities have concluded their investigation. Please pray for our school and students during this difficult time."
Based on the information provided in the school superintendent's email, we can approximate when Aaron Craig Gleason went on leave. Counting back two weeks from January 28, 2025, we can estimate that Gleason was likely placed on paid administrative leave around January 15, 2025.
During that estimated time, Gleason was still active online, tweeting about his Anglican faith, and publishing three substack articles. His most recent, lauding Biblical themes in the Indiana Jones franchise, was posted on January 28, 2025 - the same day of his arrest.
My Takeaway
What makes Gleason’s story so striking to me personally is that he is one of many fire-and-brimstone fundamentalists who loudly condemn society’s "moral decay" while apparently secretly embodying the very depravity they claim to fight.
This case is yet another reminder that, all too often, “the call is coming from inside the house.”
Gleason’s first appearance hearing is scheduled for March 13, 2025, with a pretrial conference on April 14, 2025. Both hearings will be presided over by Judge Lacey Powell Clark.
This sounds to me like the playbook used by some 'workers' in the two-by-two sect, now under investigation by the FBI for widespread sexual abuse and child sexual abuse.... denounce other religions as harbingers of such evil while hiding their own despicable acts.
Brave girl to speak up. Put the shame where it belongs.