A Hialeah Senior High School teacher has been arrested following accusations of engaging in a sexual and romantic relationship with a student, according to police. Misael Gonzalez, 55, is facing charges including lewd and lascivious battery, child abuse, molestation, and unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Gonzalez, an English teacher at the school, was taken into custody yesterday, with Miami-Dade County Public School officials confirming that termination proceedings have been initiated.
Miami-Dade Schools Police conducted the investigation that led to the arrest. The victim, a 10th-grade student in Gonzalez's English class, reported having started the alleged relationship at 15 years old. Sharing personal troubles with her teacher, the interactions allegedly grew inappropriate, with Gonzalez accused of touching the student's body, including private parts, under her clothes. These claims were detailed in an arrest report obtained by Local 10.
"The victim stated how the defendant would tell her they were in a boyfriend and girlfriend (romantic) relationship and how they loved one another," the report stated, as noted by Local 10. As further detailed by authorities, meetings occurred on school property, and at least one encounter took place at a park after the student turned 16. In efforts to keep their exchanges private, communication was conducted in person, circumventing electronic tracking. However, it was students at the high school who began discussing the allegations, eventually alerting the school's resource officer to the situation.
Additional details have emerged, highlighting the lengths Gonzalez allegedly went to conceal the affair. "The victim reported that she and the defendant took pictures together with her cellphone, but the defendant instructed her to delete the images, stating that 'the ghosts of his past were coming back to haunt him,'" as stated in a report by Local 10.
In response to Gonzalez's arrest, a statement released by the school district expressed their disturbance at the allegations."This type of behavior will not be tolerated as it runs contrary to the professional conduct we expect from all employees. The District has initiated employment termination proceedings and will ensure the individual is precluded from seeking future employment with the District," the district asserted in a release, as reported by NBC Miami.
