Upstate music teacher faces more charges

SPARTANBURG, SC (WSPA) – A Spartanburg music teacher is now facing more charges following his arrest in July.

Spartanburg police reported that 75-year-old John R. Foster, Jr. was charged on August 22 with two counts of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to police, detectives found images depicting sexually explicit nudity of a minor.

The charges were filed less than a month after Foster was arrested for criminal sexual contact with a minor.

According to police, Foster worked as a music teacher in a space he rented at Roper Music on East Main Street in Spartanburg.

According to investigators, the victim in that case began taking guitar lessons three to four years before the crime was reported in March 2024.

The warrants show that sometime between August 1, 2023, and March 17, 2024, Foster touched the victim’s genitals.

Spartanburg police asked anyone who may have been a victim of Foster to contact them at 864-596-2065 or email investigator Alex Simmons at [email protected].

According to Spartanburg School District 7, Foster worked as a social studies teacher at Spartanburg High School until his retirement in 2015.