A Florida teacher has been charged with sexual crimes after allegedly sharing a relationship involving physical and emotional intimacy with a teenage student.
28-year-old Philip Velez resides in Hollywood, Florida. He has been teaching culinary arts and coaching basketball at Charles W. Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines for approximately three years.
Last November, Velez was at a school fundraising event where he reportedly encountered a 17-year-old female student. The pair reportedly enjoyed each other’s company and continued to connect, initially through text messages.
According to reports, a month after the pair met, they started to engage in an intimate coupling. Their connection was reported as being both sexually and emotionally intimate.
It was reported that Velez disclosed that at one point, he and the young woman had a conversation regarding their age difference and the legal ramifications of her being his girlfriend.
According to reports, the young woman’s family said she was displaying a change in behavior that led them to decide to use her cell phone to keep track of her whereabouts.
On January 8, the Hollywood Police Department was notified by the teen’s dad, who told them about his belief that his daughter was being violated by an adult. The man provided an address from the tracker that was identified as Velez’s apartment.
The police went to Velez’s residence, and when they went to the door, they reported that Velez informed them that the woman in his apartment was his girlfriend.
When they spoke with the girl, who will be 18 in two months, the authorities said she confirmed that she had been having an ongoing relationship with Velez involving sex.
Velez was taken into custody and charged with sexual battery by an adult on a victim between ages 12 and 18 and being an authority figure engaging in sexual conduct with a student.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a criminal offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.