Naples, FL (April 17, 2019) – Yesterday, police arrested a Gulf Coast Charter Academy South teacher, 37-year-old Joseph Mejia, for having sex with a young student.
Mejia was charged with lewd and lascivious battery on a child aged 12-16 and lewd and lascivious molestation on a victim aged 12-16. Police confirmed that he taught a technology class at the school.
The investigation was conducted on Monday when the victim’s mother reported that she found sexually explicit messages between their daughter and Mejia when they looked at her phone. The student claimed in these messages that she trusted Mejia “with her life.”
The victim told police that she trusted Mejia as her guidance counselor and told police that she was upset when she realized how he actually viewed her. She suffered and lost the ability to care for herself, which made her parents suspicious of what was happening.
This arrest was just one of the latest recent involving local teachers in the Naples area who were arrested on molestation charges.
Naples Lewd and Lascivious Battery Laws
Facing the reality of sex crime charges in Florida can be one of the most life-changing and concerning things that you will ever face in life. You could be facing severe penalties at the hands of the criminal justice system, with a desperate social impact on your life. You might face the reality of social humiliation, an impact on your future career, and even losing custody of your children based on sex crime charges. Lewd and lascivious crimes take place against children and are seen as some of the most heinous crimes in the eyes of the law, which is why you should never proceed without an experienced attorney.
At Musca Law, our criminal defense attorneys are here to protect your rights when you have been charged with a crime of lewd and lascivious battery and have realized just how difficult it could be to move forward after these charges. These crimes can threaten everything in your life, including the fact that you might be forced to register as a sexual offender for life. The humiliating and difficult aspects could hold you back in many ways, which is why you need somebody compassionate about your case on your side. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us as soon as possible at (888) 484-5057.