JUPITER, Fla. — A South Florida teacher is accused of having sex with a former student two years ago in the closet of the middle school classroom where he taught, authorities said.
Daniel Heath Norment, 41, of Jupiter, was arrested Tuesday and charged with sexual activity with a minor and a sex offense against a student by an authority figure, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office online booking records.
Norment is a math teacher at Independence Middle School in Jupiter, WPTV reported. According to the school’s principal, Amber Saunders, Norment worked at the middle school for six years, WPEC-TV reported.
NEW FROM POLICE: What led to it. The teacher’s multiple ethical violations involving school children. Why the alleged victim finally came forward. What she’s doing now. https://t.co/Cb3AnnHhrn
— WPEC CBS12 News (@CBS12) May 11, 2022
During that time, Norment was known to bring former students -- all girls -- to his class after school to visit, or help him with administrative paperwork, according to the probable cause affidavit. According to the affidavit, Norment is accused of taking the students -- sometimes one, sometimes several -- inside a large closet in his classroom and “counsel them,” the Sun-Sentinel reported.
According to his arrest report, Norment was the victim’s teacher when she was in eighth grade at Independence Middle School. After moving on to high school, the victim would frequently visit her former teacher at the middle school, WPTV reported.
When the girl was 16, she visited Norment’s classroom and he “became more aggressive and passionate,” according to the affidavit. The arrest report stated that Norment led the student into the closet in his classroom, undressed her and had sex with her, according to WPTV.
The victim, now 18 and attending college, said she “has blocked out some of the incident.” She told Palm Beach County school police she came forward two years later “due to this bothering her every day,” adding that “Norment should not be around youth,” the television station reported.
A complaint was filed by the victim in March, WPEC reported. Saunders said that Norment was reassigned to a non-student-contact position away from the school’s campus in March after school district officials received the complaint, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
When investigators spoke with Norment at the school about the allegations, he told them he believed it was best to seek out an attorney’s advice before speaking with them, according to the newspaper.
Norment appeared in court on Wednesday, and a judge set his bail at $50,000 for each count, WPTV reported. He remains in the Palm Beach County Jail.
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