Murfreesboro, Metro teacher arrested on charges of secretly filming teenagers having sex

A man who taught in Murfreesboro and Metro city schools has been arrested on charges he’s been secretly taping teenagers having sex in his house.

According Metro police, Louis Jay Levine was arrested this morning by sex crimes detectives on federal charges of producing child pornography.

Levine, 52, was a science teacher in Murfreesboro City Schools and an occasional substitute teacher at Metro Nashville Public Schools. He was placed on administrative leave April 1 in Murfreesboro and taken off the substitute list at Metro, according to police and school officials.

At an initial appearance Tuesday afternoon in federal court, Louis Jay Levine appeared to be upbeat and in a good spirits in his dealings with his federal marshals and his court-appointed attorney.

Wearing a wrinkled denim shirt and chinos, a disheveled Levine was handcuffed on his wrists and ankles as he entered the courtroom of U.S. Magistrate Judge John Bryant.

During the roughly 20-minute session, Levine chose Hugh Mundy, an assistant federal public defender, to represent him in future proceedings.

“I like this guy,” Levine said, referring to Mundy. “He’s doing just fine.”

But Levine might be forced to pay for his own representation. Reading from a financial affidavit, Bryant said Levine had “significant assets” which “the government can seek that in court.”

The financial affidavit has been sealed, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Daughtrey.

“I’m not sure how complete it is,” Levine said about the affidavit.

When the hearing was completed, Levine asked a marshal to wait while he finished reading the criminal complaint against him.

“That’s interesting,” Levine could be overheard afterward, citing the Japanese camera mentioned in the complaint. “Well, OK.”

Asked afterward if he had any comment about the charges, Levine said, “None whatsoever.”

Levine will next have a detention hearing and a preliminary hearing at 1 p.m. Friday.

“I think the important thing to remember is these are just allegations in a criminal complaint,” Mundy said afterward. “The allegations come primarily from teenagers.”