Substitute Teacher Accused Of Sexually Abusing Former Student
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POMPANO BEACH (CBSMiami) - A Broward County substitute teacher is accused of performing oral sex on a teenage boy.
The boy's mother contacted the Broward Sheriff's Office after she found some inappropriate Facebook messages on her 15-year-old son's phone.
The messages, which started last year, were reportedly from Vernell Hicks, 30, who was a substitute teacher for her son at Crystal Lake Middle School two years ago.
The teen told investigators Hicks helped him set up his Facebook account while he was his teacher. He said they then began to communicate through Facebook last year when he was 14-years-old.
Hicks would pick the boy up at his home and then drive him to a commercial warehouse district where he would perform oral sex on him, according to the arrest report. The teen said it happened five or six times.
Hicks was picked up at Pompano Beach Middle School on Thursday and charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior and one count of sexual offense with a person between the ages of 12 and 15.
His bond has been set at $150K bond.
A second South Florida teacher accused of sexual assaults on minors is facing more charges. Christopher Falzone was charged with seven new counts related to the sexual assault of a minor under the age of 10.
Falzone was arrested last week on charges he molested a 10-year-old girl at an Ft. Lauderdale summer camp. On Thursday, allegations surfaced that he reportedly molested third graders while teaching last year at Renaissance Charter in Cooper City.
Falzone has since been fired from the school.