Florida teacher accused of inappropriately touching student at school for children with disabilities
03/28/2022 11:34 am PDT
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (TCD) -- A 33-year-old teacher was recently arrested for alleged child molestation.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the grandmother of a juvenile student told authorities her grandchild had been inappropriately touched by a teacher at school. Upon further investigation, Matthew Hike was reportedly identified as the suspect. The Sheriff's Office says they found pornographic images involving the juvenile in Hike's possession.
According to records, Hike was arrested on Thursday, March 24, and released on bond the same day. He was reportedly charged with five counts of lewd or lascivious molestation and three counts of sellIing or distributing obscene material to a minor.
Hike was reportedly a teacher at Livingstone Academy, a school for children with disabilities. He was also an assistant football coach for Bloomingdale High School, the Sheriff's Office says.
In a statement, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said, "Those adults placed in positions of trust who prey on our children and victimize them have no place in our community."
Chronister added, "This suspect did not have the student in his class, but instead targeted the juvenile in the hallway, gaining the victim's trust and friendship before committing this heinous crime."
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