An employee of St. Johns County School District has been arrested by the sheriff's office's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit, following allegations of soliciting a romantic relationship with a student, a clear breach of Florida Statute 800.101. The individual, Edward Betancur-Zabala, aged 36, was taken into custody after he initiated inappropriate contact with a student—a minor—while serving in his role as a school district bus driver.
Details emerging from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office indicate that Betancur-Zabala asked the student to fill out a form, which included her phone number. Shortly after submitting this information, the student began to receive text messages from an unknown source, describing themselves as an "admirer" and making comments about her appearance. The student did not hesitate to alert her school resource deputy about the incident after receiving these messages, which were of a concerning nature. In a statement publicized by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, the teen was praised for her swift response to the situation.
ICAC detectives took the initiative to assume the identity of the victim and continued to text with Betancur-Zabala. During these exchanges, Betancur-Zabala expressed his desire to "get to know" the victim better and mentioned that he felt the student had noticed him as well. He expressed his wish to meet in person and suggested that the location should be discreet, mentioning the potential danger of being seen by others from the school. "I'll greet you with a kiss," he stated, planning a rendezvous in the victim’s neighborhood and even sending a photo showing where he was parked, as reported by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
The setup led to immediate action by law enforcement: Betancur-Zabala was arrested upon his arrival at the prearranged meeting spot. The Sheriff's Office is now reaching out to the community for further information regarding Betancur-Zabala's actions or potential additional victims. They urge anyone with information to come forward and contact them directly at their non-emergency number (904-824-8304), through Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida (1-888-277-8477), or via email at [email protected].
