A Broward high school teacher is facing serious charges after being accused of sending explicit text messages to a student, police said.
Gabriel Mohammed, a teacher at Plantation High School, was arrested Monday and was charged with soliciting/engaging in sexual conduct by an authority figure, according to court records.
In an arrest warrant, police say Mohammed, 25, was in a "romantic relationship" with a 10th-grader and had sent her sexually explicit messages, as well as a voice memo explaining his feelings toward her. In Florida, no one under the age of 18 can legally give consent to sexual activity. The charge he faces specifically relates to students and those in authority positions in schools.
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Police started investigating back in January after the school administration learned Mohammed was possibly in a relationship with the student and had been talking to her outside of school and was in class alone with her, the warrant said.
"The safety and well-being of students are always the highest priority. Upon learning of the allegations, the school’s leadership immediately notified the proper authorities to investigate," Broward County Public Schools said in a statement. "The teacher involved was also reassigned away from students and the school pending the outcome of the case. The school continues to work closely with law enforcement regarding this situation. Due to the ongoing law enforcement investigation, we are not able to provide additional details. We defer to BSO and Plantation Police Department."
Mohammed appeared in bond court Tuesday, where a judge issued a $30,000 bond and ordered him to stay away from the victim, have no contact with minors, have no devices with internet access, and not return to any public and private school in Broward, Miami-Dade or Palm Beach counties.
