Former Oakleaf High School assistant football coach Ben White was arrested Thursday and accused of inappropriately touching students at the school.
White, 40, who was also the girl’s weightlifting coach at the school at the time of the alleged incidents, faces one charge of lewd and lascivious molestation.
White was hired to be the head football coach at Pedro Menendez in January but abruptly resigned in March due to “personal reasons,” Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.
According to a Clay County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, White began exchanging inappropriate texts with at least one student in April 2022, but nothing in those texts rose to criminal charges. But, investigators said, several other students late came forward and reported being victimized by White and a detective started conducting interviews with them in February.
It’s not clear how many alleged victims came forward, but all of them were between 15 and 17 years old and attended Oakleaf High School, where White was also a teacher.
White was interviewed in March at Pedro Menendez High School and was confronted with the text messages he sent to students and allegations by female students. His response to the detective is redacted in the arrest report.
After his arrest, White was released after posting a $100,000 bond, according to jail records.
A judge assigned to the case ordered that White is not allowed to have contact with children or the victim.