Why were charges against Heiry Calvi dropped? DA files only 1 case over sex with minor
On November 9, the Miami Dade Attorney General's Office chose to file only one charge in the case of Heiry Calvi, dropping seven others. The update comes around a month after the 41-year-old educator was arrested for having a romantic relationship with a 15-year-old student at the John I. Smith K-8 Center in Miami. Initially, the DA filed eight charges against Calvi, after police concluded a months-long investigation into the couple.
Calvi is part of a growing list of adults caught having affairs with students. On October 12, an Alabama teacher was arrested for having sex with a student from Elba High School. Days before that, 31-year-old Brittiny Lopez-Murray of Florida was arrested on similar grounds. In September, a New Jersey teacher was arrested on more serious charges of drugging and sexually assaulting a student.
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Calvi, who is pregnant with her husband's child (and not the student's, as some believed), was released on bond on October 7, two days after her arrest. She is believed to be eight months pregnant and is next due in court in 30 days when she will have a status hearing.
Why were the charges dropped?
Prosecutor Jacob Castiñeira, who is overseeing the case, said the DA's office decided to drop the seven charges "after a conversation with the victim", i.e. the 15-year-old. It's unclear what was said in that conversation, as Castiñeira did not offer a more detailed explanation. Calvi's lawyer, Orlando Rodriguez, though offered a slightly different take, saying his client was innocent.
"The charges against Ms. Calvi this entire investigation have been entirely based on junior high school rumors," Rodriguez said. He went on to add, "This is why it is so important to let the process play out before a person is crucified in the media. Thankfully, before formal charges are filed, our legal system provides a process in which a prosecutor reviews the evidence and interviews the witnesses." He went on to say that the retracement of charges shows Calvi has "already been vindicated," and believes the final one will be dismissed as well.
Rodriguez went as far as to say the teen denied having sex with Calvi "since day one", a claim that seems doubtful given that he shared videos of the two having sex, which is what prompted the police investigation in the first place. The investigation was started in March 2021, when Calvi was put on administrative leave. She was then arrested and booked in late October.
Calvi now faces the single charge of unlawfully soliciting or engaging in sexual conduct and/or a relationship of a romantic nature. If found guilty, she will have to spend at least 15 years in prison since it is a second-degree felony in Florida. However, Calvi won't have to register as a sex offender. Since her release from jail, Calvi has not been seen in public.