POINCIANA, Fla. — A ninth-grade teacher's assistant was arrested Tuesday after he was accused of inappropriately touching a student.
Roberto Diaz, 53, was working at Poinciana Christian Preparatory School South on Walnut Street. He is charged with a sex offense on a student by an authority figure, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
An investigation was launched Monday, Feb. 20, when an 18-year-old student told school staff that Diaz allegedly sent her about six messages between Feb. 6 and Feb. 14 through WhatsApp. The sheriff's office said he was also accused of requesting a nude photo of the teen.
"The victim said she refused Diaz’s requests and told Diaz to stop sending her messages," the sheriff's office said in a news release.
The teen also told authorities that on Feb. 15, Diaz placed his hand on her chin and neck area and tried to kiss her and touch her breasts, the sheriff's office reports.
After alerting school officials of the investigation, Poinciana Christian Preparatory School suspended Diaz immediately pending the investigation.
During an interview, Diaz reportedly admitted to detectives that he kissed the 18-year-old student and touched her breast against her will. Detectives said he also admitted to asking her for a nude photo of herself.
"It infuriates me that someone in this kind of a position, as an educator, role model, a religious instructor, and a person of influence, would attempt to take advantage of a student for his own sexual satisfaction," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. "He should be locked up in prison and never have access to schools or children again."
Diaz was arrested and taken to the Polk County Jail where he is being held without bond.
While at the school, he also taught a Bible studies class, the sheriff's office said. A spokesperson for the school said Diaz has been fired after working there for nine months.