After making inappropriate contact with several pupils, an IT staff member at a Miami Lakes school was taken into custody on molestation and other offenses, according to the police.
Bob Graham Education Center staffer Martin Zaretsky was charged with seven charges of sexual and lascivious molestation on a minor between the ages of 12 and 17 as well as seven counts of violations against children by authority persons on Monday, according to Miami-Dade jail records.
Zaretsky is employed by the school’s information technology department, according to its official website.
An arrest report claims that Zaretsky attempted to establish romantic relationships with multiple students and repeatedly touched them indecently and in a lewd way.
According to the investigation, Zaretsky caressed the victims in a sexual and lascivious manner on their breast and buttocks areas over their garments on several occasions.
Along with taking pupils out of their classrooms so they could skip class without permission from the school administration, he also contacted two of the victims repeatedly without getting their parents’ permission “in an attempt to gain favor and trust with the victims,” according to the report.
Furthermore, according to the investigation, Zaretsky would accompany his victims to his office after school, where he would hug them inappropriately and give them candy before walking them back to the school gate.
He is also alleged to have made sexual remarks to the students, telling them things like, “You look good today,” and “You have a curvy body,” according to the investigation.
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The report stated that Zaretsky would inquire about their ages and inform them that he was younger than both their fathers and his apparent age.
Zaretsky was detained by police on Monday, and the report stated that prior to being placed under arrest, he declined to talk to an investigator.
During Zaretsky’s Tuesday bond court appearance, a Miami-Dade County Public Schools Police officer reported that they have identified seven victims, all of whom are between the ages of 12 and 14.
He was given a $70,000 bond and told to avoid the accused victims and the school.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which has employed Zaretsky for thirty years, announced in a statement on Tuesday that the dismissal process has started.
“Miami-Dade County Public Schools is deeply disturbed by the troubling allegations made against this individual. Upon learning about this suspected behavior, Miami-Dade Schools Police immediately began their investigation and subsequently made an arrest,” as per the statement. “This type of comportment will not be tolerated as it runs contrary to the professional conduct we expect from all employees. The District has initiated employment termination proceedings, and will ensure the individual is precluded from seeking future employment with the District.”
After news of Zaretsky’s arrest, former pupils at the Bob Graham Education Center claimed they weren’t shocked.
According to Keily Sanchez, who participated in the school’s dance squad, Zaretsky was often present. She claimed that they had once protested to their coach.
“He would walk into the women’s restroom while we were changing, he was always at our dance practices for no apparent reason,” Sanchez stated. “It was kind of just one of those finally, I hate that it came to this.”
Danny Garcia claimed to have known kids who were texting Zaretsky while she was a student there. There were gossips about Zaretsky at the time, according to Ashley Gonzalez, a dancer at the school. The former pupils think the school could have intervened earlier.
“We have to listen to our kids because so many of us back then were communicating to our parents how uncomfortable we felt, our parents were then advocating for us, telling administrators, our coach, and nothing ever happened,” Sanchez stated.
“Kids need to know that it’s OK to talk,” Gonzalez stated.
