Two former employees at Progress Village Middle School in Hillsborough County have found themselves on the wrong side of the law after a January incident where a teacher was accused of putting a student in a chokehold and the assistant principal reportedly failed to act appropriately. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has reported that Bennie Leverett, 39, was arrested after the chokehold incident came to light while Tashiska Fabian, 41, allegedly did not report the matter nor did she inform the child abuse hotline or law enforcement as required by FOX 13 News.
In a troubling turn of events, upon learning of the incident and that a student had recorded it, Fabian told the student to delete the video, which detectives later recovered; this has led to enhanced scrutiny on the school's handling of the serious accusation, and although the footage was deleted the evidence survived sheriffs and department officials responded to the school in February, it led to Leverett’s arrest on March 14, and a subsequent warrant issued for Fabian's arrest, according to details from a Tampa Bay Times report.
"It is deeply troubling that a teacher would harm a student, but even more so when a person in a position of authority fails to do the right thing and report the crime," Sheriff Chad Chronister was quoted in a WESH article, emphasizing the weight of trust betrayed within the community. Leverett has since resigned, and Fabian, upon being removed from her position has not been allowed to return, both the individuals have been let go from the Hillsborough County Public Schools systems, which has communicated all relevant information concerning the incident and the arrest to the parents of students at the school.
The swift recovery of deleted evidence and diligent investigative efforts underscore the seriousness with which the authorities are addressing child abuse within educational institutions, all parents were informed and the two employees were pulled from duty as they now face their charges, ensuring the students' protection remains paramount, which perhaps offers a small comfort in this disturbing narrative..
