Friday, March 29

Police interrupt sexual encounter between Florida teacher and minor


The teacher, 28-year-old Philip Velez, will face charges of sexual assault.

The teacher, 28-year-old Philip Velez, will face charges of sexual assault.

Photo: Kindel Media / Pexels

Florida police managed to disrupt a sexual encounter between a high school teacher and a student 17 years of age; Now, the professor will face multiple charges of sexual assault.

Teacher, Philip Vélez, 28 years old, and the student, they had previously discussed how their age made their relationship inappropriate, according to a Hollywood police arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE.

Nevertheless, Vélez identified the minor as his girlfriend when the Hollywood police, in Broward County, showed up at her residence Saturday to search for the teen, who was traced to the scene by a phone app, according to the affidavit.

“I don’t take it lightly. He’s a teacher, but he’s a young teacher, ”Velez defense attorney Kenneth Hassett said at a bond hearing Monday.

Philip Velez
Velez identified the minor as his girlfriend when the Hollywood police. (Photo: Broward Sheriff’s Office)

Hassett defended his client at the hearing where the suspect’s bail was set at $ 85,000, arguing that in another 60 days, the alleged victim would be 18 years old and therefore reach the age of consent, authorities reported.

How the police found the teacher

According to the affidavit, the alleged victim told police that she began speaking with Vélez in November after a school event and eventually went to her apartment where the two had sex for the first time four or five times.

The alleged victim’s sister observed her acting suspiciously in recent weeks, according to the arrest report, and on Saturday the sister told her father that a cell phone locator indicated that the alleged victim was in a Hollywood apartment complex.

The father alerted the police, who then contacted Vélez at home to inquire about the girl’s whereabouts. The teen told officers that she and Velez were having sex when they arrived, according to the arrest report.

Velez has been an employee of Broward County Public Schools at Flanagan High School since July 2019, the district confirmed. He teaches culinary arts and is reportedly an assistant basketball coach, reports WPLG.

“He’s in a position where he’s supposed to protect children, teach them, not have sex with them,” Broward County Prosecutor Eric Linder said during the bail hearing, according to the outlet.

Velez got out of jail Monday night. He is charged with three counts of sexual assault by an adult on a victim between the ages of 12 and 18., and a charge of being an authority figure involved in sexual conduct with a student.


Also read:
Florida girl is accused of stealing more than $ 15,000 from her grandparents and giving $ 6,000 to a friend’s mother
North Carolina man arrested for murdering 4-year-old girl in 1986
Missouri man convicted after killing his father with a golf club


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