BROWARD COUNTY, Fla — A former teacher employed in the Broward County Public School system was arrested following accusations of sex with a student in 2017.
According to an arrest affidavit, Carlos Alberto Menendez, 48, is accused of sexually battering a student between February and October 2017 on several occasions while he was a teacher at Everglades High School. The student told police she was between the ages of 15 and 17 when she had a "forced, ongoing sexual relationship" with Menendez.
The former student initially reported it to Miramar Police officers in December 2020. However, following an arranged recorded call with Menendez by law enforcement, she decided to not pursue criminal charges and later told investigators his attorney reached out to her and that victim tampering had occurred, court records show.
She told police Menendez threatened to kill himself if she ever told anyone because "he did not want to go to jail for 45 years," the affidavit says. It wasn't long after Menendez left Everglades High School, the former student told police she saw several text messages between him and another student at Cypress Bay High School where he was employed from 2018 to 2020 as a language arts teacher, the arrest affidavit says.
"These text messages were not sexual in nature, but they seemed inappropriate for a student-teacher relationship," she told authorities.
The former student said she felt "groomed and manipulated" by Menendez and was fearful it could happen to someone else, court documents showed.
Menendez is facing five charges of sexual battery on a victim over 12 and under 18 years old by familial or custodial authority, according to jail records. He was arrested on May 27 and remains in the Broward County Jail.
The former Broward County teacher worked at Indian Ridge Middle School, Everglades High School and Cypress Bay High School prior to leaving for a job in Delaware.
Investigators believe that there could be other victims and are asking anyone with information to contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
