CRIME
Baltimore Teacher Arrested After AI Audio Put Racist Words In Principal’s Voice
Baltimore County Police
A high school teacher in Maryland has been arrested after he allegedly used artificial intelligence to create fake audio that made it sound like his school’s principal used racist and antisemitic language, officials said Thursday.
The faked audio went viral back in January, causing Pikesville High School Principal Eric Eiswert to face widespread outrage for seemingly mocking Black and Jewish people, as well as two teachers.
At a press conference on Thursday, Baltimore County Police chief Robert McCullough said officials now have conclusive evidence that the recording was not authentic.
Dazhon Darien, 31, a physical education teacher and athletic director at the school, was arrested Thursday morning as he was attempting to board a flight, after police were called to look into his improperly packed firearm. Officers then noted he had a warrant for his arrest, which was issued Wednesday night.
Darien was charged with disrupting school activities, stalking, theft, and retaliation against a witness. He was being held on a $5,000 bond.
Authorities say Darien allegedly made the recording to retaliate against his boss for launching an investigation into the potential mishandling of school funds, McCullough said.
Eiswert was placed on administrative leave when the recording went viral, and has maintained all along that it was fake.
McCullough said police brought in a forensic analyst contracted with the FBI to investigate the recording. That analysis indicated the recording contained traces of AI-generated content, and a second opinion from an expert at the University of California, Berkeley, reached the same conclusion.
Further forensic investigation allegedly traced the email address used to send the audio to an internet service provider registered to Darien’s grandmother.
We are grateful that we can bring some sense of closure to the community, and that we can now shift our focus to moving forward and providing all parties with a fresh start, said Baltimore County School Superintendent Myriam Rogers.
Nevertheless, Rogers said the interim leadership at Pikesville High School would remain in place for the remainder of the school year to ensure continuity for our students.
We will work with Principal Eiswert and the Pikesville community concerning next year, she said.
Meanwhile, Rogers said the school board was moving forward with action up to and including a recommendation of termination for Darien, and said other employees named in charging documents will be investigated for their possible involvement.
TMX contributed to this article.
