A high school head football coach and two youth pastors were arrested on sex crime charges in separate cases in Polk County Wednesday.
30-year-old Matthew A. Thompson, head football coach at George Jenkins High School has been charged with sexual battery by a person of custodial authority.
Investigators said, Thompson engaged in sexual intercourse on more than one occasion with a student at the school, under 18 years, as recently as December 1, 2011.
According to the Arrest Affidavit, he even told the victim, “if anyone found out about their sexual relationship he would never teach again and he would go to jail.”
Thompson has denied any inappropriate relationship with any student at George Jenkins High School, but deputies say, they have evidence to prove their case.
In separate cases, Pastor Benjamin Demoreta, 32, and 27-year-old Pastor Ricardo Navarro, both youth pastors of Mulberry, were arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behaviour.
Investigators said, Demoreta, a former teacher, had a young victim, on three occasions perform a sex act on him. The victim attended the Mulberry Middle School while Demoreta was her teacher. The incidents occurred during the 2009/2010 school year, deputies said. The victim told detectives that Demoreta repeatedly asked her to perform a sex act on him.
Demoreta has been charged with three counts of lewd battery on a victim between 12-15 years.
Meanwhile, Navarro, a youth pastor at First Assembly of God, has been charged with several counts: enticing a child to distribute computer pornography, use of two-way communication to facilitate a felony and lewd and lascivious behaviour of a victim between 12-16 years.
Deputies said, Navarro sent text messages to his victim in November 2011, requesting her to send “sexy” and “skin” photos to him over the phone.
Navarro confessed to asking his victim to send him photos of her naked over the phone, investigators said.
Law enforcement officers said, unbeknown to each other, Demoreta and Navarro had the same victim.
