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Trigger Warning: This article contains written and graphic references to an indecent encounter between an adult and a minor. Reader discretion is advised.
Joseph Tolliver, a Florida physical education instructor at Campbell Drive K-8 in Homestead, Florida, was arrested on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, for allegedly having a s*xual relationship with a minor student.
Tolliver is a former college footballer who played for the Miami Hurricanes in 2000. In addition to playing with the powerhouse school, the 37-year-old teacher also ran the track for the University of Miami before working as a PE teacher.
The coach has worked with Miami-Dade County Public Schools since 2008.
Joseph Tolliver was arrested after the student informed her mother of having intimate relations with him
As per Tolliver's arrest report, the teenage girl, whose identity has been kept hidden after a request by her mother, admitted to developing a close and personal relationship with her physical education teacher. She recounted to the Miami-Dade police that he visited her on multiple occasions and would enter her bedroom through the window to avoid being seen by the teenager's mother.
The 14-year-old girl also described another incident that happened on February 4 in the apartment complex's parking lot. The pair met and had an intimate encounter in the teacher's car.
She later spoke to her mother about the parking lot incident, and they reported the relationship to Homestead law enforcement officers on Tuesday, February 7. Police promptly alerted Miami-Dade school authorities and arrested the former college footballer later in the day.
Joseph Tolliver was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 to 16 years old.
In 2012, Tolliver was kept on two years probation from teaching with a $1000 fine by the Florida Department of Education
The teenager's distraught mother demanded accountability and scrambled to find resources to help get past the traumatic event. She added:
"You know that she was a minor. You knew what you were doing was very wrong. I hope you pay for what you've done."
Miami-Dade County Public Schools said that they would make sure Tolliver wouldn't be permitted to work in the district again while also announcing that they have initiated the procedure to terminate his job.
Alfredo Ramirez, director of the Miami-Dade Police, gave a statement, explaining:
"As a father, I am deeply disturbed any time an educator betrays the public’s trust. Schools are considered to be a safe haven for our children, and us parents entrust the educators with the safety and security of our children."
In the 2012 incident, Tolliver was given a letter of reprimand by the then presiding officer of the state’s Education Practices Commission, Mark Strauss, who wrote that he condoned Tolliver's actions and explained that his behavior had caused harm to the educational community by reducing their trust in the teaching staff. The reasons behind the reprimand have yet to be disclosed.
Joseph Tolliver was in jail at the time of writing this article, and his bail bond is set to $7,500.
