Marion County School District employee charged with molesting juvenile on campus
A Marion County school employee accused of molesting a juvenile on campus was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with sexual battery on a child under 18.
Hours later, Henry Lee Anderson, of Ocala, appeared via Zoom from the Marion County Jail in front of County Judge Jim McCune for his first appearance.
Assistant State Attorney Becky Fletcher told the judge that Anderson received a deferred prosecution this week for petit theft. Court documents show Anderson was given a notice to appear by an Ocala Police Department officer after it was alleged that he did not scan items valued at $305.68 from Walmart.
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Anderson's background
McCune said he reviewed Anderson's arrest report for the sex offense and there was probable cause for him to be detained. Bond was set at $50,000.
The judge cited risk of harm as he decided to increase Anderson's original bond of $10,000 to $50,000. Anderson told the judge that he will hire a lawyer for his defense.
If Anderson is released on bail, the judge said he cannot have any contact with the victim or be in a room with anyone under 18 unless there's another adult in the room. The judge also said that Anderson must notify the superintendent of schools about his arrest. His next court date is scheduled for June.
Marion County School District spokesman Kevin Christian said Anderson was hired as a paraprofessional at West Port High School in November 2016. In August 2017, he transferred to Forest High School where he was an autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, teacher. In May 2018, Anderson resigned because he did not meet state required certifications. Then, in January 2019, he was re-hired as a student services manager at Lake Weir Middle School, which requires a state-issued teacher certification, and he had the qualifications.
Christian said Anderson cleared all state mandated background checks before being hired by Marion County Public Schools.
As for discipline, the spokesman said Anderson was given a written reprimand in March 2022 for intentionally missing a deans meeting without permission. Anderson has received positive evaluations for his job performance, Christian said.
With his arrest, Anderson is on paid administrative leave pending the outcomes of law enforcement and school district investigations. He is not allowed on any MCPS property, Christian said.
MCSO report
According to Marion County Sheriff's Office Detective Karla Santana-Palau, she went to Kimberly's Center for Child Protection on Thursday to watch an interview with the alleged victim. The alleged victim said on Wednesday, Anderson, 40, who's her track coach, touched her private area while at Lake Weir Middle School. Christian said Anderson is the Lake Weir High School varsity track and field coach.
On Wednesday, the alleged victim said she messaged Anderson and asked him if they could workout. She said he first told her no, but later texted her saying he was coming to pick her up, the report states.
She said Anderson picked her up around 10 p.m. and they went to Lake Weir Middle School. She said they went into the weight room and did a leg workout. A school janitor stopped by and later left.
The girl said she was lying on the table when Anderson massaged her legs. She said he squeezed and massaged her butt. She said he removed her shorts, massaged her butt and slid his finger in her private area several times, according to the report.
Crying, she said Anderson asked her if she was alright. Afraid, she said she told him yes, according to the arrest report. When Anderson stepped away, the girl said she messaged a friend, told her what was happening and asked for help. The girl said she took a picture of herself lying on the table in her underwear to show she was telling the truth, deputies said.
The report states that when Anderson returned, the girl had already put on her shorts and she told him she wanted to leave, even though he wanted to continue massaging her. She said they left and he took her to get some food, then dropped her off at her home.
Anderson's interview with detectives
The detective was given permission to look at her cellphone and saw the video recording of the alleged victim talking with her friend.
On Thursday, a deputy went to the school and took Anderson to the Sheriff's Office for an interview.
Detectives Caitlin Hartigan and Santana-Palau both interviewed Anderson. The detectives said that Anderson changed his story several times. He said that the alleged victim was not telling the truth because she was upset he did not allow her to go to a meet. He denied touching the alleged victim.
Arrested at the conclusion of the interview, Anderson was taken to the jail for booking. Anderson was still at the jail as of Friday afternoon, according to records.
Detectives think there maybe more victims and are asking the public if they know of anyone who came into contact with Anderson to call Hartigan at 352-368-3535 or Santana-Palau at 352-368-3548.
— Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Marion County school employee charged with sexual battery on campus
