HENRICO COUNTY, Va. - It's been eight months since Joshua Brinkley was arrested for allegedly recording an undressed student at Freeman High School in Henrico County.
The charges against the 23-year-old man were dropped this week.
During a January hearing, a judge deferred his judgment until July. That meant if Brinkley met the terms and conditions the judge set out, the charge could be dismissed. It was.
Now, Brinkley is speaking out to CBS 6 for the first time.
"I've just been staying positive, keeping God first," Brinkley said.
Brinkley was an instructional aide at Freeman High School where he worked with special needs children at the school he also once attended.
"I still love those kids, still love them to this day," he said.
Brinkley did not want to go into details about his arrest, but did say this:
"Whoever portrayed me as that, that's not me, " said Brinkley. "I heard pedophile, freak, I heard it all and it's just not me."
Brinkley knows the arrest sparked controversy for many people in the community, with some concerned about the news. But, he said he's had support from friends and family during this time.
"I've learned a lot from this, it's definitely made me more humble," he said.
Brinkley said he's since found a new job, but said he still misses his time at Freeman.
"I'd love to go back to Freeman, that's my home," he said, "I don't see why it even went this far."
