OCALA, FL - A school principal has been arrested after allegedly physically attacking one of his students and detaining that student against their will for over an hour.
According to ABC News, the school principal has been identified as 33-year-old Dontay Akeem Prophet and he has been arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse and false imprisonment of a child under 13 years of age. The incident happened on Friday, May 10th, at Destiny Leadership Academy, a private school in Ocala.
Authorities from the Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) responded to a call regarding a "physical disturbance between a student and the principal." The full statement said, "During the investigation, surveillance footage from the classroom was obtained, revealing Prophet preventing the child from leaving the room for over 40 minutes.
Surveillance footage captured him grabbing the victim, restraining him on the ground, and employing a chokehold. Prophet can be see on camera using a charging cable to strike the child, causing the child to fall and sustain injuries. Additionally, Prophet twisted the child's ankle, slapped the child in the face, and subjected him to further physical abuse."
When questioned, Prophet told police that the altercation was "an attempt to prevent harm to the child." Evidence obtained from the incident clearly contradict his statement, according to officials. Prophet was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail where he is currently being held without bond.
According to Fox35, a letter was sent to the parents stating that Prophet has been fired. Valerie Strong, a public information officer with MCSO said in a statement, "This child is under the age of 13, and nobody has the right to put their hands on this child the way this teacher did."
The surveillance footage began at 11:34 a.m., and the boy can be seen with his head down on a table. Prophet approaches the child and started to poke and grab the boy's inner thigh to get a hold of him before he fell to the ground. According to the affidavit, that is when Prophet sits on top of the child and then carries him off the floor and back onto the chair.
The affidavit said that Prophet then allegedly put the child in a chokehold, wrapped his legs around him, and prevented the boy from leaving the classroom. The boy tried to leave several times, but each time, Prophet picked him up and pinned him to the ground.
Later on, the boy tried to leave again, so Prophet blocked the classroom door to prevent the student from escaping. The boy hid underneath a table, but Prophet grabbed him and when the student kicked the principal in an effort to get away, Prophet grabbed his ankle and allegedly twisted it.
The affidavit said that Prophet then smacked the boy in the face and again on the side of his head with a computer charger before picking him up and throwing him on the floor. At 12:40 p.m., the boy was allowed to leave the classroom. The boy's teacher reported the incident to the school's secretary after she heard yelling from the classroom.
When she looked inside the door's window, she said she saw Prophet yelling at the child, slamming him on the ground, and preventing him from leaving the room. The arrest report said that when she asked the boy what happened to his head, he said that Prophet had hit him in the head with a computer charger.
When speaking with deputies, Prophet said that his actions stemmed from alleged "suicidal statements" that the boy was making. The affidavit said that Prophet told deputies that he was holding the student down, "preventing him to leave the classroom because he was scared the victim would leave the school and run into traffic."
Strong said, "In no way did this footage even give you an inkling that that was what he was trying to do. The only thing he was trying to do in this video was cause harm to this child. All the child did was try to get out of the room. The child did not strike him. He just wanted tog et out of this room. It was very traumatizing to see, and any parent to see this, you left your kids in this person's hands. And this person was supposed to be trustworthy. This is the principal of a school and this is the way he treated this child."
This is not the first time Prophet has harmed a child. Court records indicate that in 2019, he was arrested on molestation charges stemming from a 2017 incident. According to that affidavit, he allegedly invited a boy, whom he met while he was a camp counselor, to several events, including the Ocala Grand Prix, his classroom at Osceola Middle School, and the Ocala Mall.
In November 2017, he invited the boy to his apartment to watch a movie, and at one point on the couch, he allegedly placed his penis against the boy's backside. The affidavit said that Prophet asked the boy, "Do you feel that?" The boy reportedly asked Prophet if he had done this before, and he said, "Yes, to one other student."
The charges were eventually dropped to "interfering with child custody" and Prophet was sentenced to 90 days in jail and probation. Strong said in a statement, "It's just devastating that someone who has a previous history with law enforcement, dealing with students, had the ability to put his hands on another child. And we know as parents, as citizens, we look for teachers and principals to care and protect our children and our little citizens. And it's devastating to know that this man had the ability to hurt a child for really what looks like no reason at all."
According to ABC News, the school principal has been identified as 33-year-old Dontay Akeem Prophet and he has been arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse and false imprisonment of a child under 13 years of age. The incident happened on Friday, May 10th, at Destiny Leadership Academy, a private school in Ocala.
Authorities from the Marion County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) responded to a call regarding a "physical disturbance between a student and the principal." The full statement said, "During the investigation, surveillance footage from the classroom was obtained, revealing Prophet preventing the child from leaving the room for over 40 minutes.
Surveillance footage captured him grabbing the victim, restraining him on the ground, and employing a chokehold. Prophet can be see on camera using a charging cable to strike the child, causing the child to fall and sustain injuries. Additionally, Prophet twisted the child's ankle, slapped the child in the face, and subjected him to further physical abuse."
When questioned, Prophet told police that the altercation was "an attempt to prevent harm to the child." Evidence obtained from the incident clearly contradict his statement, according to officials. Prophet was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail where he is currently being held without bond.
According to Fox35, a letter was sent to the parents stating that Prophet has been fired. Valerie Strong, a public information officer with MCSO said in a statement, "This child is under the age of 13, and nobody has the right to put their hands on this child the way this teacher did."
The surveillance footage began at 11:34 a.m., and the boy can be seen with his head down on a table. Prophet approaches the child and started to poke and grab the boy's inner thigh to get a hold of him before he fell to the ground. According to the affidavit, that is when Prophet sits on top of the child and then carries him off the floor and back onto the chair.
The affidavit said that Prophet then allegedly put the child in a chokehold, wrapped his legs around him, and prevented the boy from leaving the classroom. The boy tried to leave several times, but each time, Prophet picked him up and pinned him to the ground.
Later on, the boy tried to leave again, so Prophet blocked the classroom door to prevent the student from escaping. The boy hid underneath a table, but Prophet grabbed him and when the student kicked the principal in an effort to get away, Prophet grabbed his ankle and allegedly twisted it.
The affidavit said that Prophet then smacked the boy in the face and again on the side of his head with a computer charger before picking him up and throwing him on the floor. At 12:40 p.m., the boy was allowed to leave the classroom. The boy's teacher reported the incident to the school's secretary after she heard yelling from the classroom.
When she looked inside the door's window, she said she saw Prophet yelling at the child, slamming him on the ground, and preventing him from leaving the room. The arrest report said that when she asked the boy what happened to his head, he said that Prophet had hit him in the head with a computer charger.
When speaking with deputies, Prophet said that his actions stemmed from alleged "suicidal statements" that the boy was making. The affidavit said that Prophet told deputies that he was holding the student down, "preventing him to leave the classroom because he was scared the victim would leave the school and run into traffic."
Strong said, "In no way did this footage even give you an inkling that that was what he was trying to do. The only thing he was trying to do in this video was cause harm to this child. All the child did was try to get out of the room. The child did not strike him. He just wanted tog et out of this room. It was very traumatizing to see, and any parent to see this, you left your kids in this person's hands. And this person was supposed to be trustworthy. This is the principal of a school and this is the way he treated this child."
This is not the first time Prophet has harmed a child. Court records indicate that in 2019, he was arrested on molestation charges stemming from a 2017 incident. According to that affidavit, he allegedly invited a boy, whom he met while he was a camp counselor, to several events, including the Ocala Grand Prix, his classroom at Osceola Middle School, and the Ocala Mall.
In November 2017, he invited the boy to his apartment to watch a movie, and at one point on the couch, he allegedly placed his penis against the boy's backside. The affidavit said that Prophet asked the boy, "Do you feel that?" The boy reportedly asked Prophet if he had done this before, and he said, "Yes, to one other student."
The charges were eventually dropped to "interfering with child custody" and Prophet was sentenced to 90 days in jail and probation. Strong said in a statement, "It's just devastating that someone who has a previous history with law enforcement, dealing with students, had the ability to put his hands on another child. And we know as parents, as citizens, we look for teachers and principals to care and protect our children and our little citizens. And it's devastating to know that this man had the ability to hurt a child for really what looks like no reason at all."
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Comments
2024-05-19T21:41-0500 | Comment by: Terry
He should be thankful that he is still amongst the living....
2024-05-21T00:48-0500 | Comment by: Grey
And will he go to prison this time? maybe, maybe not.