BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Brevard County school bus driver has been arrested and charged with giving a student an "obscene" book during the final days of the school year.

Jimmy Tate, 54, of Palm Bay, told deputies he wrote and self-published the book, which contained several explicit scenarios, including one with a small child, a Brevard County Sheriff's Office arrest report said.

According the Tate's arrest report, he was caught on camera giving the book to a ninth grader at Viera High School on June 2 and was heard the next day asking what she thought of it.

The student told Tate, who has been a bus driver since 2019, that "the book was very detailed and he (Tate) laughed," the report said.

Viera High School officials were made aware of the incident on June 4 when the student's mother went to the school to report what happened.

Brevard County Schools spokesman Russell Bruhn said the accusations were serious and lauded school officials for the way they responded.

"This is a black eye that no one deserves who drives a school bus for our county," he said. "Credit to Viera High and their administrators, they took immediate action."

According to the arrest report, Tate told investigators that he didn't think his book — which was available for purchase on Amazon.com at the time — was inappropriate for teenagers. He admitted giving the book to the girl because she "likes to read novels," the report said.

Investigators, though, said the book met the legal definition of "obscene" in Florida. While it is not illegal to write such a book, giving it to a child is, said BCSO public information officer Tod Goodyear.

"What makes it a crime in the state of Florida is that this material was provided or given to a minor," he said.

No one answered the door when Spectrum News 13 went to Tate's home seeking comment about his arrest on a charge of distributing obscene material to a minor.

He has been released from the Brevard County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

If convicted on the felony charge he could spend up to five years in prison.

Tate has been place on unpaid leave pending the outcome of his case.

Bruhn said the incident shouldn't color other bus drivers employed by the county.

"The trust is deserved but also earned," Bruhn said. "And this one arrest tarnishes that."