Tyler Eden, 31, a teacher and head football coach at Bartow High School located in Bartow, FL, was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office following a criminal investigation into reports of inappropriate conduct towards female students. Eden, born on January 18, 1994, of Bartow, is facing charges of Lewd Offense against a Student by an Authority Figure (F2), Lewd and Lascivious Touching of a Minor (F3), and Voyeurism (M1).
The investigation commenced on April 2, 2025, after a parent reported inappropriate conversations Eden had with their daughter during a meeting for community service hours.
Detectives learned that Eden had asked the student to earn community service hours by assisting with athletic chores. During their first interaction in the locker room, where the student was sorting football helmets, Eden allegedly initiated a conversation about a teacher who wanted to have sex with him in the locker room, despite being married. The student stated she expressed her discomfort, but Eden continued the conversation.
On a subsequent occasion, while the student was helping Eden break down boxes, her hoodie zipper broke. When she asked for a T-shirt to cover herself (as she was only wearing a bra underneath), Eden reportedly unzipped her jacket completely. The student expressed her discomfort, and Eden eventually provided a shirt. While she changed in a separate locker room area, the student reported that Eden stood behind her, watching. He then allegedly complimented her bra and repeatedly stated there were no cameras present. The student informed Eden she was uncomfortable, at which point he asked her not to report the incident. She reported the events to her parents that evening and to school administrators the following day.
When questioned by school administrators, Eden initially claimed he only gave the student a shirt. However, as he was informed of his administrative leave, he stated he wanted to admit something, claiming he attempted to help the student fix her zipper at her request.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd stated, “Not only is this highly inappropriate behavior by a teacher, imagine just how frightened this student was. Here was a male teacher who was already discussing lewd behavior, unzipping her clothes, then following her into a locker room where he remarked there are no cameras, and complimenting her undergarments. This guy is a total creep, and now he’s going to jail. We are not going to tolerate school teachers and coaches preying on our children.”
The investigation also involved interviews with two other female students. One student reported Eden telling her there were no cameras in the locker rooms and how it would be “easy to do certain things in there.” He also allegedly mentioned his popularity and another teacher wanting to have sex with him. Another student reported Eden asking her about her college aspirations to become an obstetrician/gynecologist, to which Eden responded with crude and graphic language about performing oral sex on women, before asking her if she wanted to earn community service hours, which she declined.
Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Heid commented, “This is abhorrent behavior for anyone who works among students…….”
Tyler Eden was booked into the Polk County Jail and is scheduled for his first appearance hearing today, Thursday, April 17th. Inquiries regarding Eden’s employment should be directed to Polk County Public Schools.
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