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Published on January 23, 2025
Miami School Security Guard Charged with Grooming and Inappropriate Conduct with StudentSource: Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation

A security monitor at Felix Varela Senior High School in Miami was arrested on charges related to engaging in inappropriate behavior with an underaged student. Johnathan Lee Coard, 35, is accused of leveraging his position to "groom" the female victim, as per details disclosed by the school and police. Multiple students reportedly expressed their discomfort to the principal back in October, leading to a subsequent investigation by the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department (M-DSPD).

The case against Coard includes allegations that he gave the student multiple rides home, during which he made sexual advances and inappropriate comments. The student felt trapped, fearing losing her rides and triggering trouble for Coard, which ultimately led her to reluctantly tolerate the unsettling attention. "The students also reported that their friend was uncomfortable but did not want to report the incident because she would lose her ride home and get him into trouble, but she felt uncomfortable and that the situation was wrong," an investigator wrote, as reported by Local 10 News.

Upon interviewing the victim, troubling aspects of the relationship between her and Coard emerged. According to police, the student disclosed that Coard would often speak suggestively, including desires for pictures and intimacy, and during rides home, he endeavored to engage her in more physical acts which she resisted. Following a report by NBC Miami, the victim mentioned receiving money from Coard for food, with one instance including a Cash App payment that was used by detectives as evidence. Coard's inappropriate conduct didn't end at physical boundaries, as text messages also surfaced, highlighting his attempts to manipulate the young student's sense of obligation to him.

Coard's bond was set at $16,000, and he is currently being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He faces charges including lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under 16, offenses against students by authority figures, and a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child. After turning himself in at M-DSPD headquarters, he declined to speak with investigators. Miami-Dade County Public Schools conveyed a message of distress over the situation, assuring that "conduct such as the one this individual is accused of will not be tolerated," as stated by a district spokesperson and reported by Local 10 News. The security monitor was immediately removed from the school setting following the emergence of the claims and has been prohibited from securing future employment with the district.

Miami-Crime & Emergencies