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Miami-Dade Coach Carlos Maymi Arrested, Accused of Inappropriately Touching Students

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chairs-classroom-college-289740-300x200A Miami-Dade track and field coach was arrested last Tuesday for allegedly touching his students in an appropriate manner.

Carlos Maymi, 32, faces charges of battery and offenses against students by an authority figure. The press did not name an attorney for him.

According to Miami-Dade police, Maymi was a coach at St. Brendan High School in Southwest Miami-Dade and at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens.

He is accused of grabbing a St. Brendan student on “both of [the victim’s] buttons,” according to the arrest report. The report adds that he tried to kiss the victim and continued his attempts even though the victim resisted. Maymi is also accused of similar behavior against another St Brendan student he was coaching between July and August 2019.

“The defendant was in a position of a caretaker and of authority when he intentionally touched the victim’s buttocks against her will,” the arrest report said.

The Archdiocese of Miami immediately reported the allegations by the St. Brendan students to the Department of Children and Families. Maymi was placed on administrative leave before he was fired the next day.

A representative for St. Thomas University told the press that Maymi no longer worked with the university as of August 2019.

Cases of inappropriate sexual behavior by a person in a position of authority against a minor aren’t uncommon in South Florida. Earlier this month, a Pembroke Pines middle school teacher and football coach was arrested for allegedly texting and soliciting a student.

Leverick Ladarius Johnson , 26, faces charges of sexual battery by a custodian, cruelty towards a child, solicitation, and obscene communication with a minor. Attorney information wasn’t available.

According to the arrest report, Johnson was a teacher at Somerset Academy. He is accused of sending inappropriate texts to a 13-year-old female student from September to October 2019. He allegedly asked the student to send him pictures, questioned her about her sexual experience, and told her they should smoke cannabis together, the report said.

Johnson also purportedly asked the victim to meet him in an area of Somerset Academy without CCTV cameras to perform oral sex on him. He told her to keep their relationship secret more than once in their correspondence, the report said.

The victim told police that she never engaged in sexual activity with Johnson, but he did touch her buttocks while she was leaving his classroom once.

Somerset Academy released a statement saying that Johnson was fired and the school is fully cooperating with police in the investigation.

Police believe there may be other victims out there and are asking anyone whose child might have been inappropriately touched by Johnson to contact the Pembroke Pines Police Department.

Sexual battery on a child by a person with custodial authority is a serious offense with severe penalties. In cases like this, it is important for the defendant to hire an experienced attorney who can guide them through the criminal justice system and help them obtain the best outcome.

Miami-Dade Sexual Battery Attorney

If you have been charged with a sex offense, then you should hire an attorney. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation and work with one of Florida’s most experienced sexual battery attorneys.

Source: 11.8.19 south florida coach arrested for acting inappropriately behavior with students.pdf

Pembroke Pines Middle School Teacher Leverick Johnson Accused of Soliciting Student for Sex

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chairs-classroom-college-289740-300x200A Pembroke Pines middle school teacher and junior varsity football coach was arrested Tuesday for allegedly inappropriately texting and soliciting a student.

Leverick Ladarius Johnson, 26, was charged with solicitation, cruelty towards a child, sexual battery by a custodian, and obscene communication with a child. It is unclear if he has acquired the services of an attorney.

According to Pembroke Pines police, Johnson, who works at Somerset Academy, allegedly took interest in a 13-year-old female student and asked her for her phone number and social media information.

From September to October, Johnson sent the victim inappropriate texts. He reportedly asked her for pictures, questioned her on her level of sexual experience, and told her they should smoke marijuana together, police said.

Johnson allegedly asked the victim to meet him in school, in a stairwell without closed-circuit cameras, to perform oral sex on him. He also told the victim that they had to keep their relationship secret in at least once of their conversations, according to the police report.

When the victim expressed concern about their age difference, Johnson allegedly told her, “I am grown. And?” The victim told investigators that she didn’t engage in any sexual activity with him, but he did grab her behind while leaving his classroom.

Somerset Academy released a statement saying the students’ “safety and well being” is the school’s main concern and that it is cooperating with law enforcement to investigate the allegations.

“Yesterday, our School Resource Officer learned of allegations of inappropriate communications from a substitute/assistance football coach to a student,” school officials said in a letter addressed to parents. “The school took immediate action and gathered the necessary information to prevent student harm. The individual is in police custody and will not be returning to our school.”

Investigators are asking anyone whose child might have had inappropriate contact with Johnson to contact the Pembroke Pines Police Department.

A custodial authority committing sexual battery on a child is a serious offense with harsh penalties. The charge doesn’t require the custodian to have performed any sexual act on the child; simply soliciting a minor is a crime. It also doesn’t matter if the victim consented to the sexual act.

In a case like this, a state prosecutor will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim is under 18 but older than 12; the defendant had a position of custodial authority over the victim; and the defendant committed a sex act. It is crucial for anyone charged with this offense to hire an experienced attorney who can help navigate them through the criminal justice system and obtain the best possible outcome.

Pembroke Pines Sexual Battery Attorney

If you have been charged with a sex offense, then you should hire an attorney. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation and work with one of Florida’s most experienced sexual battery attorneys

Source: 10.29.19 Middle school teacher accused of inappropriately Texting, Soliciting Student.pdf

School Employee Heather Matheison of New Port Richey, FL, Arrested for Sending Sex Video to 14-Year-Old Student

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auditorium-benches-chairs-207691-300x214Middle school secretary Heather Matheison was arrested Friday for allegedly sending a graphic sex video to a 14-year-old student.

Matheison, 25, is an employee at Chasco Middle School in Port Richey, FL. She was charged with transmitting harmful materials to a minor. It is unclear if she has acquired the services of an attorney.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Matheison is accused of sending a Snapchat video to a student that shows her masturbating. The boy reportedly saved the video and forwarded it to his mother on Facebook, and she reported it to the police.

Police reviewed the video and confirmed it shows Matheison engaging in a solo sex act, the arrest report said. When questioned by police, Matheison allegedly confessed to sending the video and told investigators that she has since deleted her Snapchat account. She also purportedly said she knew the boy’s age.

It is unclear if Matheison has been fired from her position at Chasco Middle School.

Another incident of an adult allegedly sending inappropriate content to a minor via Snapchat was reported on Friday. Angel Perez of Lakeland is accused of sending a picture of his erect penis to a girl in middle school.

Perez, 22, was charged with transmitting harmful materials to a minor and using a computer to solicit a child. His bail was set at $10,000. The press did not name an attorney for him.

According to Lakeland police, Perez allegedly sent a nude photo to the victim using his Snapchat account. The victim’s mother saw the picture and questioned her about it. After she confirmed that her daughter didn’t know the user, the mother assumed her daughter’s identity and continued chatting with Perez.

She reportedly asked him several questions to try and get him to reveal his identity. She eventually searched for Perez on her own Snapchat account and started a new conversation. Perez allegedly gave her the name “Jeremy” and told her he worked as a barber. He purportedly sent her a picture of his face and even shared his home address. The background of the picture he sent reportedly matched the background of the nude picture he sent to the woman’s daughter.

The mother took this information to the police, and they went to Perez’s Lakeland address on September 23. Perez allegedly agreed to an interview. He initially denied having any involvement in the case and told police he wasn’t the owner of the Snapchat account that was used to send a nude picture to the victim.

Perez later admitted to sending a nude picture to a “handful” of girls, police said. When police showed him copies of his chats with the victim, he allegedly started to weep. He told police that he “was lonely” and that he only sent the pictures for attention, according to the arrest report.

Records show Perez was on probation for a separate arrest in May, which involved soliciting a prostitute.

South Florida Sex Crimes Attorney

If you are involved in a sex crime, then you should hire an attorney. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation and work with one of South Florida’s most experienced sex crimes attorney.

Source: 9.30.19 She sent a lewd video to a 14-year-old boy, cops say.pdf

Lake Worth Middle School Teacher Richard Woolcock Accused of Molesting Student on Traveling Soccer Team

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activity-ball-equipment-50713-300x200Middle school teacher and youth soccer coach Richard Woolcock of Royal Palm Beach was arrested earlier this week for allegedly molesting one of his players.

Woolcock, 33, is a teacher at Lake Worth Middle School. He is charged with lewd and lascivious behavior with a child and was ordered held on $20,000. He has since bailed out of jail. The press did not name an attorney for him.

According to the arrest report, the alleged incident occurred at a hotel in Altamonte Springs near Orlando earlier this month. Woolcock was traveling with a soccer team he coached. One of the players was reportedly laying in a bed with Woolcock to watch a show on Netflix.

The boy told investigators that he thinks of Woolcock as a “father figure” and that the coach is a “cuddler,” the report states. They were cuddling together in the bed and then Woolcock asked him if he wanted to go to sleep and the boy agreed. The player told investigators it wasn’t unusual because he had shared a bed with Woolcock at other travel events.

The victim purportedly awoke when Woolcock started touching his private parts, the police report said. The player was afraid and he grabbed his teacher’s wrist and moved it away. He went to the bathroom to try and reach his friends and family members using his cell phone.

The alleged victim then left the hotel and walked to a nearby Waffle House. A waitress at the restaurant noticed the boy was crying and asked him if he was OK. The player purportedly told her what had happened and the waitress called 911. Officers arrived a few minutes later. Woolcock reportedly refused to cooperate with them.

Parents received the following message from the Royal Palm Beach soccer league, according to WPTV:

“An incident had occurred this past weekend involving one of the coaches in our program. The coach has been suspended indefinitely by the RPB Soccer program, Florida Youth Soccer Association, US Youth Soccer Association and US Soccer Federation pending the outcome of the coach’s legal issues. At this time no other information is available. Please respect any ongoing law enforcement investigations and/or related legal proceedings. Thank you.”

A spokesperson for the Palm Beach County School District told news sources that the alleged victim was not a student at Lake Worth Middle School and that Woolcock has been removed from the school and won’t have any more contact with students.

According to news sources, Woolcock has worked as a teacher at four other schools: HL Johnson Elementary School, Whispering Pines Elementary School, Hidden Oaks Elementary School, and Watson B. Duncan Middle School. He was also a coach at Royal Palm Beach Community High School.

Palm Beach County Sexual Assault Attorney

If you are involved in a lewd and lascivious molestation case, then you should hire an attorney. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation and work with one of Palm Beach County’s most experienced sexual assault attorneys.

Source: 5.21.19 Lake Worth middle school teacher molested player on traveling soccer team.pdf

Broward County Teacher Vincent Grossi Accused of Having Inappropriate Relationship with Student

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auditorium-benches-chairs-207691-300x214Broward County teacher Vincent Edward Grossi was arrested on May 1 on accusations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor.

Grossi, 54, faces one count of being an authority figure who solicited and engaged in a romantic relationship with a minor. He was ordered held on $5,000 bond and will be required to wear a GPS monitor if he is released from jail. It is unclear if he has acquired the services of an attorney.

According to a report from the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Grossi taught math at Cypress Bay High School in Weston. The accusation against him was made at the school and he has reportedly been under investigation for some time.

Grossi allegedly began an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old female student last October. The minor reportedly told investigators that the encounters would happen after class in Grossi’s classroom. She said he allegedly kissed her five different times and grabbed her buttocks over her clothes on several occasions.

Grossi would also purportedly talk to her about his children and two ex-wives and took steps to improve her grades. The victim gave investigators cellphone footage that shows Grossi telling her she was the only girl he had kissed at school and that he would wait for her, the report said.

Grossi has been a teacher with the Broward County Public Schools since 1989. He has been reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation.

Another incident of sexual misconduct involving a public schools employee was reported in Miami-Dade last month. Victor Brantley was arrested on April 9 on accusations of sexual misconduct with a minor.

Brantley, 45, was charged with lewd and lascivious battery, transmitting child pornography, and using a computer service to arrange travel to meet a minor. He was released on $35,000 bond. News sources did not name an attorney for him.

According to the police report, Brantley worked as an IT specialist at South Dade Senior High School. He met the alleged 15-year-old victim through the gay dating app “Grindr” early in April. He reportedly gave the teen his Kik messenger username, and the two talked about sex and exchanged nude photos.

The relationship got physical during the weekend before Brantley’s arrest. He allegedly picked up the teen from his home and took him to his house, where they had sex, police said. It is unclear how investigators discovered Branley’s relationship with the teen.

Brantley has worked with Miami-Dade Public Schools for 25 years. The school district has reportedly fired him.

“The allegations against this individual are inexcusable and shameful,” a school district spokesperson said in a statement. “Employees are routinely familiarized with School Board policy and kept apprised of any updates—especially where employee-student interactions are concerned. In line with our zero-tolerance guiding principles against inappropriate behavior with students, the district has initiated employment termination proceedings. This employee will also be prevented from seeking future employment with Miami-Dade County Public Schools.”

Broward Sex Crimes Attorney

If you are involved in a sex crime, then you should hire an attorney. Contact us to set up a free initial consultation and work with one of Broward County’s most experienced sex crime attorneys.

Source: 5.2.19 Broward county teacher accused of having inappropriate relationship with minor.pdf