Substitute teacher Roman Jose Fondon of Pembroke Pines, Florida was arrested on September 19 for allegedly having sexual encounters with a 15-year-old student.
Fondon, 28, is being charged with lewd or lascivious battery on a child older than 12 but under 16 and sexual battery on a victim older than 12 and younger than 18.
He was ordered held without bond until he sees his trial judge. He is not to have contact with the student or her family and is barred from using the Internet among other stipulations.
According to the arrest report, Fondon was working as a substitute teacher at a charter school in Hollywood called the Ben Gamla Preparatory Academy when he met the alleged victim. They started following each other on Instagram and sending each other messages there. The messages eventually took a sexual turn.
“Fondon was working as a substitute teacher at Ben Gamla Charter High School while engaging in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student,” Christian Lata of the Hollywood Police Department told the press on Thursday afternoon. “Further investigation revealed he also committed lewd or lascivious battery on a minor in the neighboring cities of Hallandale and Aventura.”
Fondon allegedly had five sexual encounters with a 15-year-old student between February 26 and April 30. The first encounter occurred in Fondon’s classroom, where the pair purportedly traded oral sex. The other encounters reportedly occurred in Fondon’s vehicle at the parking lot of the Aventura Mall and the YMCA in Hollywood; at the teenager’s Hallandale Beach home; on the roof of her condominium; and in his bedroom.
The report describes several messages between Fondon, then 27, and the teenager, who was 15 at the time. In some instances, the two reportedly sent each other messages until 4 a..m. The teen also allegedly sent Fondon topless pictures through social media and he sent her pictures of his genitals through Snapchat.
Investigators are using video footage recorded by a neighbor’s doorbell that showed Fondon and the student going into her home as well as the teenager’s diary entries as evidence, the report said. Search warrants are pending for Fondon’s other social media accounts.
When interviewed by investigators, the teen said they had sex during their last encounter on the roof of her condominium. She was reportedly afraid she was pregnant and took a pregnancy test at home, which turned out to be negative.
“Due to the severity of this crime and the position of authority held by the suspect over his victim, the Hollywood Police Department is requesting anyone who may have been victimized or has any information pertaining to the incident, which occurred in Hollywood, to please contact the Hollywood Police Department,” Lata said.
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Source: 9.20.18 Teacher accused of sex acts with 15-year-old student.pdf