A 23-year-old employee of the Palm Beach County School District has been charged with lewd and lascivious conduct involving an 11-year-old girl during a summer camp at Wynnebrook Elementary School near West Palm Beach.
The accused, Michael Richard from Lake Worth, was arrested by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and school district police following the reported incident.
After his initial court appearance, he was released on his own recognizance. Richard’s next hearing is scheduled for August 17th at 8:30 a.m., during which the state will file charges.
According to the victim’s sworn statement given on Thursday, she had physical contact with Richard at the summer camp. She stated that Richard texted her and asked her to meet him in a classroom. Upon entering, she hugged him and he sat on her lap.
They proceeded to kiss, and this happened on two other occasions as well, as per the victim’s account mentioned in the arrest report. The victim’s cellphone contained multiple text messages from Richard discussing kissing and holding hands.
During an interview with detectives, Richard admitted to kissing the victim and having her sit on his lap. He also confessed to buying gifts for her on previous occasions. The exact date of the incident was not specified in the arrest report.
