MULBERRY, Florida— There’s outrage among parents at Mulberry High School. The principal sent home a message Friday alerting families to the arrest of 34-year-old English teacher Jason Argo charged with the sexual battery of a 15-year-old student.
Polk County deputies became aware of this incident and contacted the school's resource officer on May 19. Deputies then interviewed the victim who said, through tears, that she had been involved with Jason Argo since the end of 2015.
“I come to find out he's around my age,” said Juana Mazariegos, the parent of a freshman at the school. “To do this to a 15-year-old child absolutely disgusts me!”
Their relationship began after the student left a sticky note on Argo's desk at school, a common practice in the classroom. She wrote her number on the note as a joke because she knew Argo had already been investigated for speaking with students on social media.
A few days later she received a text message from an unknown number, which was later revealed to be Argo. As their relationship escalated the victim began to go to Argo's class at the end of the day. Detectives say she tearfully confirmed she performed oral sex on her teacher on two separate occasions, in his classroom, minutes after the final bell.
Classmates we talked to say Argo was extremely popular on campus.
“We thought we could trust him,” said 16-year-old Angel Mazariegos. He was a really good teacher. He was fun, happy, and everyone knew his name around campus.”
After a few of these meetings, Argo began to express guilt as he was married and his wife was pregnant. However, on June 30, he invited the victim to his house where they had sex.
When deputies asked the victim how she knew it was June 30, she said because that was Mr. Argo's birthday.
Communication ceased after that, at Argo's request.
On May 20, after the victim was interviewed, deputies conducted a recorded phone call between teacher and student. The victim said she thought they should have sex again, to which Argo replied, "I wouldn't mind it at all either. It would be kind of cool I think."
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Argo was interviewed and arrested on May 20th for three counts of sexual battery. No one answered the door at Argo's Valrico home. Detectives say he admitted to his charges and blamed his actions on post-traumatic stress from serving in the Marines which led to a drinking problem and bad decisions. He believes these factors made him weak and attributed to his sexual misconduct with a student.
“I don't care what your excuse is you don't sleep with children,” said Polk County Sheriff’s Spokeswoman Carrie Hortsman.
This isn't Argo's first time in trouble. School records show he was previously suspended three days for inappropriate contact with a student on social media.
Outrageous mugshots:
