Former teacher at Miami charter school accused of sending inappropriate texts to ex-student
MIAMI - A former teacher at a Miami-Dade charter school is accused of sending inappropriate texts to a 10-year-girl, according to a police report.
Eric Givens, 29, who was an instructor at Theodore R. and Thelma A. Gibson Charter School, is facing charges of offenses against students by an authority figure. A judge set his bond at $7,500 and ordered him to stay away from the girl.
In an emailed statement to CBS News Miami, administrators said the suspect had not been on the school's campus in "over a year."
"Upon learning of a communication that was sent to a student, our administration took immediate action and reported it to law enforcement," the school statement said. "There is no greater priority than the safety of our campus and welfare of our students. We take immediate action any time a rumor or allegation is brought to our attention."
According to the arrest report, the girl on March 3 texted Givens, her former third-grade teacher, in regards to students not passing.
The girl told investigators she received texts from Givens that stated "Of wow, I wanna see you bad" and "Always wanted to date you," according to the report. He's also accused of sending her a picture of him only wearing boxer shorts.
Police brought Givens in for questioning on May 5.
Givens first told investigators that he thought he was texting the girl's mother, according to the report. According to police, there were several instances of Givens texting the girl and messages from her making clear who she was.