Authorities arrested a teacher, a youth church leader and a basketball coach for separate alleged sex crimes against dependents and minors in central Florida’s Polk County, according to multiple Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) statements made Wednesday.
Brandon Adams, 33, of Lakeland, was arrested Jan. 4 for allegedly having consensual sex with one of his students who lived with his family, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a press conference. The girl was 18 when she allegedly began living with Adams in June 2021 and was allegedly having sex with him during her senior high school year (2021-2022), according to a PCSO statement.
The Polk County Public Schools (PCPS) had placed Adams on leave in November over a separate incident the school system was investigating but would now fire him, the PCSO statement said.
“Once again, we have a school teacher in a position of authority over a student and is engaged in sex with the student,” Sheriff Judd told reporters. Adams reportedly was booked into jail and then released.
Richard Shaw, 69, a worship and youth church leader from Freemont County, Wyoming, was arrested Jan. 4 in Riverton, Wyoming for alleged lewd molestation of a child during a nine-day Christmas visit to Polk County, according to another PSCO statement. Shaw admitted to touching the child, aged under 12 years, underneath and over her clothing, during a phone call the child’s mother made to him, according to the PSCO. He had allegedly molested at least one other child in the past and said he could not be trusted with children, the sheriff revealed. Shaw would be extradited to Polk County while also likely facing charges in Wyoming, the sheriff said. (RELATED: ‘Vile Sin’: Priest Admits To Having Child Porn Addiction, Asks Judge For Five Years: REPORT)
Skylar Ready, 20, of Fort Meade was arrested for an alleged inappropriate relationship with and threatening communication toward a student in a high school where he was a basketball coach, according to yet another PSCO statement. Ready was allegedly dating the student while he was a student at the school before becoming a basketball coach there while being a basketball player at Warner University, the sheriff stated. Ready allegedly sent the 17-year-old girl sexually explicit messages and allegedly threatened to kill her if she had sex with anyone else, the sheriff said.
“He is also in an authority position at the school even though not long ago he was a student with this person and dating this person,” Sheriff Judd said. The PCPS terminated him following his arrest, according to the PSCO statement.