Another delay in the case of a former teacher accused of having sex with an underage student — Jason Meyers was arrested more than five years ago but he has not faced a jury yet. NBC 6’s Willard Shepard reports
It has been more than five years since former Miami-Dade schools teacher Jason Meyers was arrested and accused of having sex with an underage student.
But he has not faced a jury yet. His trial was rescheduled again Monday.
Months ago, NBC 6 Investigators spoke exclusively with the young woman prosecutors identified as his victim. We will refer to her as Luisa.
Luisa shared with NBC 6 the statement she has been waiting to read in court for years.
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“You took advantage that I was a lost girl,” the statement read. “I quickly remind myself the only reality here is that you abused me and it was premeditated.”
In 2016, she told police Meyers had sex with her when she was a student at Palmetto Senior High. She was 17 years old at the time.
Luisa said it happened inside his classroom.
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“It was behind his desk…you couldn’t see it if you were walking by the hallway,” she said.
When she spoke with NBC 6, she was anxiously waiting for another court date.
“It’s completely devastating. This is the worst thing that I have ever experienced,” she said, while fighting back tears. “It still interrupts my life every single day.”
After Luisa came forward, Meyers was arrested and charged with three counts of sexual activity with a minor by a person in custodial authority.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Judge Cristina Miranda said Monday she recognized the case has dragged on for years but the trial date was moved again.
“I understand that it’s exhausting and I totally sympathize with that portion,” Miranda said. “I’d like nothing more than to move it forward.”
In a statement, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s office said it “is trial ready to prosecute this case and has been ready to go to trial for quite a while,” but Meyers’ change of attorneys and the pandemic delayed the process.
“My client and I absolutely have concerns about the delay,” said attorney Mark Schweikert.
Schweikert is representing Luisa in a lawsuit against the Miami-Dade School Board.
“She is making every effort to put her life together but it has been incredibly challenging,” Schweikert said.
While other former students have accused Meyers of inappropriate behavior, he is only facing charges in the case of the student we spoke with.
Meyers, who taught at Krop and Palmetto high schools, has repeatedly denied any misconduct with any student over the years.
In a statement, his attorney Bradley Horenstein told NBC 6, “Jason Meyers is an innocent man. They’re (former students) suing the School Board for millions and that’s what this case is about: Money. If they had their way, Mr. Meyers would already be serving the Life Sentence he’s facing in this case. But thankfully for Mr. Meyers, we have jury trials in this country and juries are not easily fooled.”
Luisa told NBC 6 she just wants justice.
The school district declined to comment citing the pending litigation.
Meyer’s trial is now set for July.
