Joseph Edward Tolliver: Florida PE teacher, 37, accused of having sexual relations with 14-year-old student
MIAMI, FLORIDA: A Florida physical education teacher and former University of Miami athlete has reportedly been arrested for having a sexual relationship with one of his 14-year-old female students. Joseph Edward Tolliver, 37, was charged on Wednesday, February 8 with lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 to 16 years old, an arrest report said.
Tolliver, who played for the powerhouse program in the 2000s, was a teacher at Campbell Drive K-8 Center in Homestead. Tolliver mentored and developed a close relationship with the student, as per NBC Miami's report. The teen told authorities that their relationship soon turned sexual and the teacher used to climb through her bedroom window for trysts without her mother’s knowledge. She also revealed that on February 4, Tolliver met her in the parking lot of her apartment, where they had sex in his car.
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'I hope you pay for what you've done'
Reflecting on Tolliver’s arrest, the mother of the victim voiced her protest while demanding justice for her daughter. "Shame on you, because you knew my daughter," the mother, who wishes to stay anonymous, told NBC Miami. "You know that she was a minor. You knew what you were doing was very wrong. I hope you pay for what you've done. You didn't think about your family, you didn't think about nobody. You only thought about yourself."
The mother added that she hopes Tolliver will be held accountable for what he did. "Now I have to find a way for me and my child to be able to get some type of help for us. This is just too much for me to handle at the moment." Miami-Dade County Public Schools officials also released a statement on Wednesday, noting that they have initiated Tolliver’s termination proceedings and will make sure that he won’t be able to work in the district in the future.
"We commend the Miami-Dade Police Department for their investigative work on this case, which occurred away from the school setting, and for bringing this individual to justice," the school said in a statement. "Miami-Dade County Public Schools is profoundly disturbed by the abhorrent allegations made against this individual. This District goes to great lengths to promote a safe and secure learning environment and any actions that run contrary to that will not be tolerated."
Two years of teaching probation in 2012
The state records have also revealed that the Florida Department of Education fined Tolliver $1000, placed him on two years of teaching probation, and sent him a letter of reprimand in 2012, according to Miami Herald. While it is unclear what specifically resulted in Tolliver's punishment, his letter of reprimand reads, “By your actions, you have lessened the reputation of all who practice our profession. The profession cannot condone your actions, nor can the public who employ us,” said Mark Strauss, then-presiding officer for the state’s Education Practices Commission.