A St. Lucie County School Board employee has been arrested on allegations of molesting a young child, as per the reports of local law enforcement. Antonio Devarous Fields, 25, of Fort Pierce, is facing charges for acts against a child that were initially reported to the Port St. Lucie Police Department in July. WPTV details that the mother of the 6-year-old victim informed police of the child's report, which described how Fields had inappropriately touched them and exposed himself.
The incident dates back to January, at a private residence where the child was under a family member's care. During that period, Fields, who was hired as a bus aide in October 2023, was also staying at the home. The investigation into Fields' actions extended months as officials searched for his new address after he had moved. "Between January and July, both the grandmother and the suspect had moved to different residences, so we did not have a current location on the suspect, so it took us a few months to finally locate the suspect. We went through social media, we tried to locate other family members, other friends," Master Sergeant Dominick Mesiti told WPBF 25 News.
Following his arrest, Fields was taken to the St. Lucie County Jail and is currently held on a $750,000 bond. He is charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a victim under 12 years old and one count of lewd and lascivious exhibition on a victim under 16 years old.
The Port St. Lucie Police Department continues to urge the public to come forward if they believe their child may have been another victim of Fields, although they have not found evidence of other incidents. "On Monday, 11/18/2024, St. Lucie Public Schools was notified of the arrest of a bus aide on several felony charges stemming from alleged reprehensible conduct that was unrelated to the school district. The employee was immediately removed from his duties and will be recommended for termination. Parents of any students who had contact with the employee were notified by the school district in accordance with Florida Statute 1012.797. The Port St. Lucie Police Department is actively investigating this matter, therefore, SLPS is unable to answer any questions at this time," the school board shared in a subsequent statement. Information pertaining to this ongoing investigation should be directed to local authorities or the Port St. Lucie Police Department, as reported by WPTV.
