LAKELAND, Fla. — Sheriff's office deputies arrested a Polk County high school track coach accused of sexually battering a 16-year-old boy.
During a news conference, Sheriff Grady Judd shared details of the case. He said the man they arrested was 40-year-old Jarvis Young, a track coach at Lakeland High School. His victim had told his mother that Young had touched him inappropriately on Saturday, Aug. 26. Per his mother's advice, the student then reported Young to the school resource deputy.
Judd added that when deputies investigated, they determined that Young had sexually battered the boy. Amid the investigation, Young reportedly fled the state of Florida. As the investigation went on, deputies determined that Young had once admitted to them that he was HIV positive.
"I didn't stutter," Judd said at the news conference "He tried to have sex with a child knowing he was HIV positive."
The day of the incident
Judd laid out the events that happened on Aug. 26.
He said the student was an athlete and had been working out over the summer when he asked Young to help him with his strength and speed training. Young agreed and on that Saturday, he took the student to lunch at a Mexican restaurant where he told the student both that he had some weight-training equipment he would give the student for free to use at home. When the boy said his muscles were sore, Young claimed to be a trained massage therapist, though Judd said there was no evidence Young was ever certified as such.
After setting up the equipment at the boy's house and making a side trip to pick up missing pieces, Young then told the student he needed to put up some equipment back at the school and asked if the student would accompany him. As Young set up the equipment, the sheriff explained, he offered to massage the student's hamstrings, which the student had said were aching. The boy agreed, and while massaging him, Young told him to "flip over" onto his back.
Then, Judd said, Young suddenly "grabbed" the victim and "briefly battered" him. The student jumped up and told Young to take him home. Young did, and the victim then told his mother about what happened. He reported Young to Lakeland High's school resource deputy the following Monday.
A history of predatory behavior
As deputies were investigating Young over his student's allegations, they found out that they had arrested Young before in 2011 on charges of conspiracy to commit sexual battery on a minor when they found out Young and another adult had taken two underage victims to a motel to have sex with them. Judd said the charges were dropped at the time because the statute of limitations had run out by then.
A former student-athlete at Lakeland High himself, Young was known to hang around the high school as an adult before he was hired as a coach.
Judd said that Young had grabbed another student inappropriately, but the student's parents ultimately backed off from pressing charges.
Judd claimed that Young had enough of a reputation for his behavior that other student-athletes at the school were rumored to have warned each other about him.
"Coach Young will give you stuff, but don't let him touch you," students were rumored to have said.
In the aftermath
Judd says the Polk County Sheriff's Office firmly believes that Young has touched other students in the past and that there are likely cases that went unreported.
"We need people who saw or heard something to say something," Judd said. "He got away with this before and wasn't smart enough to quit. He's addicted to having sex with boys."
Judd added that the district superintendent is investigating to find out who knew what and when. In the meantime, he urged students whom Young may have victimized to come forward.
"We're going to believe you. We're going to protect you. We're going to make sure you have any support you need," Judd said. "You can't allow this bad man to hurt anybody else. You've got to help us. We need to know everybody that he as attacked or tried to attack."
Superintendent Fred Heid in a statement said Young "no longer" has any involvement with the district; he became a volunteer coach in December 2020 and was paid a stipend. The statement reads:
"I appreciate the work of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to investigate this matter, and take the necessary steps to protect students from further harm.
"Our students and families should expect to be safe in the presence of school employees and coaches. The allegations against Jarvis Young are deeply disturbing. Although he was never convicted of any past incidents, I am extremely troubled that he was involved with our school system in any capacity.
"PCPS will be conducting a thorough investigation into how Young was allowed to become a coach for Lakeland High. We also will be pulling a list and re-screening coaches who work with PCPS students, as well as other individuals who work with students in extracurricular programs. Furthermore, we intend to increase the frequency of our background checks and add extra measures to evaluate any past reports of inappropriate behavior.
"PCPS will continue to cooperate fully with the Sheriff’s Office on this investigation. We encourage anyone with information about Jarvis Young to contact PCSO.
"We will take a hard look at the circumstances that resulted in this individual working alongside students. I will do everything in my power to prevent this from happening again."