A track coach at a Florida high school was arrested last week for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy.
On August 28, the victim, who is a student at Lakeland High School, reportedly told a school resource officer that Jarvis Young, 40, inappropriately touched him. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Jarvis gave the victim sports equipment and lunch before massaging and sexually assaulting him, according to WKMG.
“He, by his statements, admitted that he was HIV-positive. Did you hear what I said? I didn’t stutter. He tried to and briefly had sex with a child knowing he was HIV-positive,” Judd alleged.
Judd said they arrested Jarvis in 2011 for conspiracy to commit sexual battery on a juvenile for bringing children to a motel. However, the case was dropped due to the statute of limitations. In 2017, Young allegedly grabbed a boy’s leg in a car which resulted in him being charged with battery. Judd explained that those charges were also dropped because the victim’s family stopped cooperating with the investigation.
Young is charged with sexual battery by a custodian on a victim between 12 and 18, lewd and lascivious conduct by a person 24 or older on a victim 16 or 17, abuse of a child without bodily harm, interfering with the custody of a minor, and having sex without informing a partner of HIV infection.
Authorities believe Young has more victims.
“The rumors were, around coach Jarvis Young, ‘Hey, he’ll give you stuff, but don’t let him touch you.’ Did you hear that? The kids that knew him from sports said, ‘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,” Judd commented.
Polk County Public Schools said it is investigating how Young was hired as a coach despite his prior arrests for crimes against children. School officials also said he no longer works for the district, according to The Ledger.
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[Featured image: Jarvis Young/Polk County Sheriff’s Office]
