James Edward Ford III, 43, an assistant football coach at West Port High School, was arrested on January 17, 2025, on multiple felony charges including unlawful sexual activity with certain minors and offenses against students by authority figures.
The investigation began last week when School Resource Officer Pope was informed of an alleged inappropriate relationship between Ford and a student.
The student disclosed to detectives that they began communicating with Ford through text messages and phone calls in January 2024 and started meeting outside of school in August 2024. The student reported kissing Ford, including once in a school locker room, and engaging in sexual activity with him in Ford’s vehicle in September 2024. The student was 16 years old at the time of the encounter.
Ford was arrested following an investigation by Detective Blanton.
“This sort of behavior is unacceptable, especially for a person in an authority position over children,” stated a statement by the Ocala Police Department. They urged anyone else who may have experienced similar behavior to contact law enforcement.
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