PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. – Five teachers at a Florida high school were arrested earlier this week after an investigation into a 15-year-old’s molestation, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives said that they investigated a molestation case in 2021 of a teen girl at Palm Beach Central High School.
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In an affidavit, deputies said the parents chose not to prosecute, as a “prolonged” court battle could interfere with the teen’s “therapeutic progress.” As such, the case was closed in October of that same year.
Detectives, however, were later told that a number of school employees were tipped off about the molestation, though they failed to take proper action.
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Investigators said that in June 2021, a friend wrote a letter to Scott Houchins, a chorus teacher, about the sexual assault. According to the affidavit, the letter reads:
“I am reporting about someone and something that really needs to have a radar... Her parents are mostly aware of the situation; however, I’m not sure how much they know... (Redacted) has had many problems with guys and has been sexually assaulted by two of them. I have witnessed both of them not taking no for an answer... Although (Redacted) may have said yes at first, she changed her mind and the boys did not respect them. Many anxiety and panic attacks were caused by this leading to self-harm.”
Deputies said Houchins gave the letter to someone in the guidance office, though he didn’t report the sexual assault to the Department of Children and Families.
The letter was ultimately handed off to Priscilla Carter, the school’s behavioral health professional, deputies said. Court records show that she didn’t report the sexual assault to DCF, and while she told someone else that the letter involved thoughts of self-harm, she didn’t mention anything about the sexual assault denoted in the letter.
In August 2021, the case was reported to Assistant Principal Daniel Snider and Principal Darren Edgecomb, detectives said. The affidavit notes that neither of the men reported the assault to DCF.
A day later, the victim was called to the main office to provide a statement about her sexual assault, which was recorded by Assistant Principal Cayado De Garcia and given to Edgecomb, detectives said. De Garcia did not report the sexual assault to DCF, either, according to the sheriff’s office.
Edgecomb reportedly performed his own investigation into the claims, and he failed to contact law enforcement because he felt that a sexual assault didn’t actually occur — despite evidence to the contrary, the affidavit shows.
Deputies said that Edgecomb also enacted disciplinary measures in this case, and when asked why he would do so if he thought a sexual assault hadn’t taken place, he responded that he “is aware of how it looks.”
Houchins, Carter, Snider, Edgecomb and De Garcia were all later arrested on July 24, 2023. All five face charges of failure to report suspicious child abuse, abandonment or neglect.
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