A retired teacher has been arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual acts with an underage student repeatedly over the course of several months.
Tom Miller Privett, 70, is charged with one count of sexual activity with a child by a person in custodial authority.
An investigation by the Miami-Dade School Board Police Department and the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office revealed that Privett, who retired after 30 years of teaching in 2017, first met his victim when she was a student in his World History class in September of 2012.
At the time, Privett was teaching at the Terra Environmental Research Institute Magnet School. The student was a 9th grader, and their relationship was initially non-sexual during this time.
When the student was in 11th grade, Privett allegedly began to engage in "sexual conversations" with the victim, telling her his desires among a range of other topics.
On March 8, 2016, when the victim was a senior, Privett allegedly asked her to meet him in his classroom after school. According to officials, he locked the door and touched her private parts.
The following day in the same setting, the Privett allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse and oral sex with the victim in his classroom. The victim told authorities that this activity would occur every day after school for the next three months, until the school year ending.
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Following completion of the investigation, Privett was taken into custody by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department on Friday. He is currently awaiting transportation back to Miami-Dade County.
The state attorney's office said in a press release that if there exist any additional victims who would like to come forward, they can call (305) 547-0441.
