Ruskin, FL - School Employee at Lennard High School, Anthony Errol Witter, Charged with Sexual Assault

College Success Coach Anthony Errol Witter Charged with Unlawful Sexual Activity with a Student from Lennard High School

According to Tampa Bay Times, a college success coach at Lennard High School faces sexual assault charges.

Anthony Errol Witter, 37-years-old, allegedly engaged in illegal sexual activity with a female student that was 16-years-old. The interaction allegedly occurred between November and March.

Deputies reported Witter met the student at the school but was not her teacher. The alleged interactions between Witter and the student mainly occurred in Witter's home. The investigation surfaced after a friend of the student reported the relationship to an adult. Witter worked with the school system since July 2020.

Witter was arrested and charged with six counts of unlawful sexual activity. Witter is being held on a $45,000 bail, reported Tampa Bay Times.

Legal Rights of Victims Sexually Abused by a Teacher

Attorney contributor Michael Haggard represents victims of sexual abuse in civil lawsuits. Below, we asked Michael to provide insight on the legal options of victims who have been sexually assaulted by a school employee.

"When a school hires employees to work in schools, they must do their best to ensure the new employee will uphold the safety of the students. Schools have a legal obligation to protect the students enrolled. Unfortunately, we have seen numerous cases of school sexual assault across the country in the news. Schools must try their best to keep the students safe and should implement safety measures. Safety measures include easy reporting systems, cameras, and more. In cases where the school did not do their best to prevent abuse from occurring, it may be considered liable in a lawsuit."

"In cases of sexual assault by an employee, victims and their families should explore their legal options by securing the services of an experienced sexual abuse lawyer. Many sexual abuse cases occur as a result of negligence on behalf of a third party. An example of negligence is if misconduct occurred previously, but the employee remained employed. In cases of negligence, the perpetrator and the third party may be held liable in court. Victims and their families should know they may have grounds for a civil lawsuit if the school is considered negligent in sexual assault cases."

Sources:

Tampa Bay Times