Teacher, coach at Atlantic High School accused of inappropriate contact with student. What we know
Arin Hankerd, a teacher and football coach at Atlantic High School in Port Orange, is being held without bail in the Volusia County Branch Jail, following his arrest on multiple charges related to an alleged inappropriate relationship with a student, records showed Tuesday.
While in custody, the 42-year-old resigned from his job during a meeting Monday with the school district's Office of Professional Standards, according to Volusia County Schools officials.
What is Arin Hankerd charged with?
Records show Hankerd was arrested Sunday night by Port Orange police on the following charges:
Two counts of lewd/lascivious molestation on a person older than 12 but younger than 16
Traveling to meet a minor
Lewd/lascivious exhibition using a computer by a person 18 or older involving a victim younger than 16
Offense against students by authority figures
What led to Hankerd's arrest?
The victim's mother contacted police on Friday after reading an entry dated Feb. 7 in her daughter's journal that suggested an inappropriate relationship between Hankerd and her daughter, according to a police report.
The victim told police she met Hankerd, the physical education teacher, at the beginning of the school year, and in December they began having "normal and friendly conversations" almost daily, according to the report. The victim said he sometimes bought her lunch.
Police also were alerted to multiple private social media messages in which Hankerd sent nude pictures/videos as well as voice recordings of many "inappropriate conversations," the report states.
The communication via social media began Jan. 6, and the inappropriate sexual contact first occurred on Jan. 30, police said.
Does Hankerd have a criminal history?
Volusia County records show this is Hankerd's first arrest.
The Port Orange police report shows this isn't the first time concerns have been raised about Hankerd and his contact with students.
Daytona Beach police took two reports in recent years when Hankerd was the physical education teacher at Mainland High School; both reports were closed without criminal findings.
In the first report, a student said Hankerd made her feel "uncomfortable by hugging her and asking her personal questions, such as if she would date older men." In the second report, a student said Hankerd touched her shoulders and thigh and asked her personal questions.
The Port Orange police report states Hankerd told the victim he transferred to different high schools frequently, and "a rumor went around the school he transferred because he was talking to young girls."
The police department's Facebook post regarding Hankerd's arrest received more than 550 comments and 800 shares by Tuesday. In at least a dozen comments, parents and former students said they or someone they knew had raised concerns about Hankerd or had interactions with him that made them uncomfortable.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia teacher, coach accused of inappropriate contact: What we know
