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A Florida gym teacher identified as Arin Hankerd has been arrested after he inappropriately touched a 15-year-old student in February.
Hankerd was arrested on February 10 for the alleged incident that possibly took place in January. New charges were filed against him recently claiming that he had oral s*x with a student of Mainland High School.
Trigger warning: The article contains references to s*xual abuse of children. Readers' discretion is advised.
43-year-old Arin Hankerd allegedly touched a student inappropriately while he was working as a teacher at Atlantic High School at the beginning of the year. On Tuesday, the Florida gym teacher has been charged with unlawful s*xual activity with a minor.
On February 17, he was released on a bond of $250,000 bail with certain conditions. However, Circuit Judge Karen Foxman revoked the bond and ordered that Hankerd should be locked up at the Volusia County Branch Jail.
43-year-old Arin Hankerd, a gym teacher in Florida, was accused of s*xually abusing an underaged girl
Hankerd was initially arrested in February after he was accused of touching a 15-year-old student while he was working at Atlantic High School.
He was then charged with two counts of lewd molestation on a person older than 12 but younger than 16, traveling to meet a minor, lewd exhibition using a computer by a person 18 or older involving a victim younger than 16, and offense against students by authority figures.
According to the victim’s mother, she found references to an inappropriate relationship between the 15-year-old and the Florida teacher. Shortly after that, she contacted the police to report the incident.
The victim claimed that she and Hankerd initially had “normal and friendly conversations” and that he sometimes got lunch for her.
According to the police report, Hankerd allegedly sent inappropriate voice notes and pictures through social media platforms. Police also confirmed that the inappropriate s*xual contact first happened on January 30, 2023.
Shortly after the arrest, he was freed on bail on February 17. He, however, had to be under electronic monitoring even after being released.
Hankerd’s bond got revoked after additional allegations have been filed against him regarding a s*xual abuse case of 2019
On Tuesday, additional charges were filed against the Florida teacher after he was accused of establishing a s*xual relationship with a 17-year-old student at Mainland High School in 2019.
Upon hearing the allegations, Circuit Judge Karen Foxman revoked his bond and he is currently being locked up again. According to Foxman:
“More to the point, it is also showing a pattern that Mr. Hankerd has used his position of authority to prey on vulnerable victims. Mr. Hankerd is a threat to the community.”
The latest charges have been highlighted after a woman reached out to the cops on February 20, accusing the Florida teacher of being involved in such a heinous crime. Assistant State Attorney Ashley Terwilliger said:
“You have two different public high schools in this community, in this county. You’ve got two different female student victims.”
The incident allegedly took place in 2019, and the then physical education teacher allegedly invited the girl to his place to perform such an act.
Aaron Delgado, Hankerd’s defense lawyer however claimed that he hasn’t been convicted of any crime and that he has also followed all the conditions and restrictions placed during the initial arrest in February.
