A high school teacher in Florida is accused of manipulating a freshman boy into an inappropriate “relationship,” which reportedly began with an unsettling six-minute kiss in the teacher’s classroom.
Leroy Wright Jr., who previously taught reading at Miami Jackson Senior High School, was taken into custody on Friday following a swift investigation into allegations of his misconduct with a male student.
An anonymous source sent an email to the high school’s principal on April 28, alleging that 46-year-old Wright was “involved” with a student, as reported by Local 10.
In response, the principal filed a report detailing these claims to the M-DCPS Office of Professional Standards on May 7. This report was promptly forwarded to the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department for further action.
Police spoke with the individual who initially provided the tip, who then directed them to the alleged victim.
During an interview with authorities, the teenage boy recounted how he first encountered Wright when the teacher invited him to participate in the Freshman Club, which Wright supervised, at the start of the school year.
The boy was in frequent contact with Wright, who sometimes drove him home. He recounted how matters suddenly escalated on April 29 when he hugged Wright while exiting his classroom.
Wright hugged the boy back and allegedly kissed him on the lips for a staggering six minutes while groping him, according to police.
Wright allegedly kissed and groped the student again on May 1, then groped him for a third time while driving him home on May 4, cops said.
The officers “forensically examined” the victim’s cellphone before nabbing Wright. The findings, if any, weren’t publicly noted.
One of Wright’s stunned neighbors told Local 10 that the teacher, who holds a PhD, was “too educated” for the crimes he allegedly committed.
Even so, police said that Wright waived his Miranda rights and made some kind of unspecified admission to the charges after his arrest.
He was charged with unlawful sexual activity with a specified minor, possessing obscene material depicting a minor, and committing an offense against a student by an authority figure
Wright was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he remains on a $35,000 bond, according to the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department.
