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Lakeland High track coach charged with sexual battery
Aaron Mesmer reports
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - A Lakeland High School track coach who says he is HIV positive has been arrested after deputies say he sexually battered a 16-year-old boy and authorities fear there may be more victims.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, a 16-year-old boy told his mother that his track coach, 40-year-old Jarvis Young, inappropriately touched him after the two spent a Saturday afternoon together.
Sheriff Judd says the boy’s mother told him to tell the school resource officer about the incident when he got to school on Monday, August 28, and that’s what he did.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, detectives determined that the teen was not only touched, but he was sexually battered, and the track coach, who told detectives he was HIV positive, fled the state while they investigated.
"He tried to and briefly had sex with a child knowing he was HIV positive," stated Sheriff Judd.
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Track coach arrested: Grady Judd Press Conference
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd holds a press conference about the arrest of a Lakeland High School track coach, who says he is HIV positive, for sexually battering a teenage boy.
Sheriff Judd says it began when the victim was working out over the summer and became sore, so he went to his coach because he wanted to be more competitive.
According to Sheriff Judd, the victim asked the coach for help with strength training and speed.
The coach, according to PCSO, said he would help the victim and he picked him up on August 26 and they went to a Mexican restaurant. After talking at the restaurant, Sheriff Judd says the coach and the victim went to pick up weight equipment from the coach’s home and brought it to the victim’s house.
Sheriff Judd explained that some parts were missing so the pair went to a hardware store and then Young said he had to pick up some equipment at the school and asked the victim to go with him and the victim agreed.
Earlier, while the two were eating lunch, Sheriff Judd says Young told the victim he was a trained massage therapist though detectives have not found hard evidence to back up that claim.
"He tells the kid he is a trained massage therapist; he buys him lunch and he gives him equipment- we call that grooming," Sheriff Judd stated.
As the pair set up equipment at the school, Sheriff Judd said Young offered to massage the victim’s hamstrings and he proceeded to do so.
According to Sheriff Judd, Young sexually battered the boy as he was supposed to be massaging his hamstrings.
The victim jumped up and told Young to take him home and he did, according to PCSO.
"If you can’t believe that’s horrific enough, we arrested Jarvis Young in 2011 for conspiracy to commit sexual battery on a juvenile when he and another adult took two juveniles to a motel to have sex. We ended up making an arrest on that, however, the charges were dropped because it wasn’t reported to us until the statute of limitations as they were at that time had expired. So, this guy got away with sexual battery," Sheriff Judd shared.
Sheriff Judd said Young used to be an athlete at the school and was known to hang out before being hired at the school.
"He’s a classic predator, child predator. He’s a classic pedophile," Sheriff Judd said.
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In 2017, Sheriff Judd said he supposedly had a young man in the car with him and inappropriately grabbed him by the leg and it turned out to be a battery. However, Sheriff Judd added that during the investigation, the family became uncooperative, and they were unable to charge him criminally.
Sheriff Judd said that there are rumors that students who know Young often say, "He’ll give you stuff, but don’t let him touch you."
"That tells us one thing clearly- he has battered, possibly sexually battered, inappropriately touched other kids for that rumor to spread among them," Sheriff Judd said.
Deputies say believe there are more victims based on the rumors that swirl around him and his arrest.
Sheriff Judd encouraged anyone who is a victim or is a parent of a victim to call authorities and report it.
"He got away with this before and he wasn’t smart enough to quit because he’s addicted to having sex or trying to have sex with teenage boys," Sheriff Judd said. "He’s already HIV positive. We suspected him of being HIV positive in 2011, but he’s admitted it to us and we’re taking him at his word."