A former Miami charter school teacher has been taken into custody, accused of engaging in sexual activity with a minor, Miami police have confirmed. Michael A. Tamayo, 39, faces several charges, including sexual activity with a child, lewd and lascivious molestation of a child, and attempting to engage in sex acts with a child, NBC Miami reported.

Details emerged that Tamayo, who was a social studies teacher at Mater Academy East Charter School up until 2017, allegedly initiated his misconduct during a school trip to Italy and continued after returning to Miami. The victim, who was between the ages of 15 and 16 at the time, disclosed the sexual abuse while undergoing therapy, which led to the opening of an investigation in April. WSVN noted that Tamayo is accused of inappropriate conduct, including touching the student in his classroom and at a rented motel.

Tamayo was arrested in Virginia, where he presently resides, and was extradited back to Miami-Dade to face the charges. Describing the course of events, the arrest warrant revealed that the initial grooming began with after-school conversations and escalated during the overseas trip when Tamayo was responsible for planning and executing the itinerary. Tamayo's approach reportedly became physically inappropriate, with accounts of several instances of him attempting to engage the student in sexual acts.

Appearing in court this past Friday, Tamayo was ordered to be held without bond. This is not the only case pending against the ex-educator; records indicate that Tamayo was a defendant in another lewd and lascivious incident involving a an alleged different victim, according to the arrest warrant obtained by NBC Miami. The judge's decision to deny bond comes despite Tamayo's defense attorney pointing out that their client had no prior criminal history.

The Mater Academy East Charter School has not released any statements regarding their former employee's arrest as of yet. The case continues to develop as authorities examine evidence and reach out to potentially other victims who may have not yet come forward. For now, Michael Tamayo remains in custody, with the legal process unfolding as the grave allegations against him are addressed by the justice system.