Former Port Orange High School teacher re-arrested for sexual conduct with a minor

Patricio G. Balona, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
Updated ·2 min read
7

A former Port Orange teacher arrested in February for inappropriate sexual conduct with a student at Atlantic High School was arrested again on Tuesday by Ormond Beach police for a similar offense, authorities said.

Arin Hankerd was charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, enhanced to a first-degree felony, and offenses against students by authority figures, a second-degree felony, the State Attorney's Office said Tuesday.

According to a motion filed by prosecutors asking that Hankerd's bail for his previous arrest by Port Orange police in February be revoked, the arrest by Ormond Beach police stemmed from a complaint made by a former Mainland High School student.

After Hankerd's arrest by Port Orange police, the former Mainland High School student came forward and made the report, the motion states.

Ex-High School teacher arrested Ex-Atlantic High School teacher pleads not guilty as formal charges filed

Cheerleading coach arrested Cheerleading coach charged in Daytona for molesting children jailed in California

The student reported that while she was a junior at Mainland High School she began communicating with Hankerd on Facebook. They exchanged flirtatious messages and Hankerd would request photographs from the student and would inquire about the color of the student's underwear, prosecutors state in their motion.

The incident occurred in August of 2019, while the student was 17 years old and a junior at Mainland High School. The student traveled to Hankerd's home in Ormond Beach where she performed oral sex on Hankerd, the court document states.

In August of 2022, the student and Hankerd began messaging each other again and talked about their relationship in 2019 while the 17-year-old was a student, the State Attorney's Office motion states.

Detectives with the Ormond Beach Police Department obtained records from Facebookdocumenting the totality of the communication in August 2019 as well as photographs ofthe messages between the student and Hankerd in August of 2022, corroborating theactivity between Hankerd and the student, prosecutors noted in the motion.

Hankerd was previously arrested in February by Port Orange police for having an inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old student.

Prosecutors are arguing that the new case is grounds for revoking Hankerd's bail on the previous arrest by Port Orange police. Hankerd had been out of the Volusia County Branch Jail after posting $250,000 bail.

"We have filed a motion asking that the court reconsider pre-trial detention in view of this new case," said State Attorney's Office spokeswoman Haley Harrison late Tuesday.

Hankerd was in the Volusia County Branch Jail Wednesday. Bail on the new charges was set at $875,000, according to jail records.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Former teacher arrested again for sexual misconduct with a minor