WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Polk County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested a teacher who they say sexually assaulted a teenage girl.
The girl, a 15-year-old, did not attend the Preparing the Way Academy private school where 21-year-old Rameir Jones worked, the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Deputies say Jones was arrested Wednesday and faces several charges, including sex offense on a student by an authority figure, traveling to meet a minor to engage in illegal activity and more.
Court documents show he's facing several of the mentioned charges, in addition to resisting an officer during arrest and giving false information to law enforcement during an investigation.
Deputies say detectives went to Jones' house looking for the 15-year-old who was missing and endangered after she cut off her probationary ankle monitor. He reportedly said he didn't know where she was and was reminded that "harboring her or lying about her whereabouts was a criminal offense, but he stuck to his story."
The girl was found inside Jones' home the next day, the sheriff's office said.
He admitted to sending inappropriate texts and picking her up from a friend's house, the agency said. Jones also said he hid the teen inside his car when detectives first came looking for her, telling her to turn off her phone so she could not be tracked, the sheriff's office continued.
It's the second teacher sex offense-related arrest in Polk County in a week. Deputies recently arrested a high school substitute teacher after he allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to two teenage students on Snapchat.
Jerron Dunn, 32, faces charges of a sex offense on a student by an authority figure and transmission of material harmful to a minor.
"Two teachers preying on students is two too many," Judd said. "I don't know what either of these suspects were thinking, but rest assured, if you groom, solicit, inappropriately talk to, or touch any student here in Polk County, we will lock you up and do our best to make sure you won't have access to children again."
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. Contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673.