stealing $2,000 from a student's bank account. 2000s In 2000, Ricks received a three-year teaching license for the state of Maryland and began teaching English at Colonel Richardson High School in Caroline County. While teaching at Colonel Richardson, Ricks was the head of a group called "Students Helping Other People". Parents of one group member accused him of stalking, and brought the issue to the school board, who then brought it to Child Protective Services. The school officials allowed Ricks's teaching contract to expire without renewal, referring to a licensing technicality. However, private discussions pointed to the real reason being the accusations of inappropriate behavior against Ricks. Even after he stopped teaching in Caroline County, Ricks continued to host foreign exchange students, this time with American Scandinavian Student Exchange. After a German exchange student was removed from Ricks's home during the 2003–04 school year, a restraining order was filed against Ricks by the student, who alleged that Ricks frequently called and offered gifts. Although the restraining order was not granted, ASSE fired Ricks. In 2006, parents of a 13-year-old boy reported that Ricks asked their son to sit on his lap and play video games, although a police investigation resulted in no charges. In the spring of 2007, Ricks was convicted of felony theft. After appealing the conviction, he left to look for a new job. In 2007, shortly before he was again convicted and spent a weekend in jail, Ricks was hired in Manassas, Virginia. On his application, Ricks stated that he had never been arrested or convicted. In 2008, Ricks was tutoring a boy in Fauquier County, Virginia, and the boy's parents went to the school with a series of Myspace messages between the boy and Ricks, as well as allegations that Ricks was stalking the boy and his friend, and was a predator. A year after the accusations of stalking, the Manassas school district recommended Ricks for a full five-year teaching permit, despite his ineligibility. This recommendation was denied by the Virginia Department of Education. The same year he was denied for his teaching license, Ricks molested one of his sixteen-year-old former students during winter break. He would later recount the event in his journals, referring to it as a romantic occasion. Arrest On February 18, 2010, Ricks was arrested after reports of inappropriate Facebook messages between the boy and Ricks were received. When his home in