Sarasota high school teacher arrested after making out with student, police say
SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Sarasota teacher was arrested Friday after investigators said she “made out” with a 17-year-old student.
Police said they began their investigation after representatives from the Sarasota Military Academy contacted detectives about rumors involving a student and Michele Little, 29.
Little was placed on administrative leave on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the student was questioned in the child protection center.
The student told officers that Little made sexual remarks to him on a number of occasions over a period of several weeks.
The student said he walked into Little’s classroom during lunch on April 17. He said Little put a sign on her classroom door saying she was testing/tutoring so the student would be the only one in the classroom.
The student said he asked the teacher what she was doing after school that day. She told him she was cleaning her room. In a “joking way,” the student said he could help her, and the teacher told him she wanted his help.
When he returned to the classroom, the student said Little held the door open with a pencil so the door wouldn’t lock and he could enter.
“As the student entered the classroom, Little closed the blinds on the door and the student logged on to a computer, if anyone walked in they could pretend to be working on a computer. The student said he was at the computer and that he and Little “made out” for 10 to 15 minutes before the student left the classroom,” read a press release.
The Sarasota Military Academy High School campus sent the following statement to faculty, parents and students:
“The high school administration has been made aware of a suspected incident between a staff member and a student, which is being investigated by the Sarasota Police Department. We have learned that Sarasota Police have made an arrest and all updates on the case will be released by SPD.”
Little was arrested Friday and taken to the Sarasota County Jail.
She will make her first appearance on Saturday, where her bond will be finalized.
