A Baldwin teacher briefly jailed over his involvement with a student pursued “a romantic, although not physical, relationship with the juvenile,” a Jacksonville police detective concluded in a report about the May 22 arrest.
Baldwin Middle-Senior High teacher James Mulvey “admitted to having an ongoing relationship with the victim in which he loves her and sees her as a daughter,” Detective C.E. Dickson wrote. “He denied any sexual intent; however, he acknowledged having poor judgment in his communications.”
The report offers some context to Mulvey’s arrest on a charge of seeking a romantic relationship with a student, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Mulvey, 47, who was listed on the school’s website as teaching high school social studies, was released from the Duval County jail May 23 after posting a $100,000 bond.
The arrest report, released by the Duval County Clerk of Courts on May 29, quoted excerpts of emails between Mulvey and the unidentified female student, saying “the two clearly express romantic love for each other.”
The exchanges, described as being made “between their school email addresses,” include a message from Mulvey saying “I won’t forget about you. I won’t replace you. I don’t want to replace you. My heart remains open to you and will stay that way for as long as you allow me to be a part of your life. And I will happily say that whenever you need to hear it sweetheart.”
The report said elsewhere that the student had written “I can’t stop thinking you’re going to leave me.”
The report, parts of which are redacted, said a concerned student brought emails to the attention of an unidentified person who was apparently an authority figure.
“Multiple students provided written statements about the atypical relationship,” Dickson wrote.
The report said that as the end of the school year approached, Mulvey “requested the juvenile victim share her personal email address with him so they could continue to communicate throughout the summer.”
The Duval County School Board updated school district policies in 2025 with rules that bar teachers communicating over personal emails.
When Mulvey was arrested, the district said it had also opened an administrative investigation and that he would not be allowed to have any contact with students while that review was underway.
An entry in the docket for Mulvey’s criminal case said a “notice of [a] related case” had been filed May 27, but that had not been cleared for public viewing as of May 29, so it’s unclear what that case involves.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: JSO report calls arrested teacher’s aim ‘romantic … not physical’
Reporting by Steve Patterson, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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