HS Athletic Director Target of Exploitation Investigation

Palm Beach Gardens High School's longtime athletic director has been removed from the school after becoming a subject of a child sexual-exploitation investigation, according to school district officials and court records.

Bill Weed — a teacher, cross-country coach and the school's athletic director since 2006 — was pulled from campus more than a month ago as city police launched a criminal probe targeting Weed, officials say.

Court records show that Palm Beach Gardens police searched Weed's home at PGA National this past month as part of an investigation into suspected video voyeurism and possession either of images or electronic depictions of a minor engaged in sexual activity, court records show. Both crimes are felonies.

Weed, a school district employee for more than 20 years, has not been arrested or charged with a crime. Multiple attempts to reach him for comment Friday were unsuccessful.

A Palm Beach Gardens police spokesman confirmed that Weed, 50, was the subject of an active investigation but declined to elaborate on the allegations against him, saying the probe was incomplete.

The veteran track and cross country coach has been placed on alternate assignment but remains employed as the investigation continues, a school district spokeswoman said.

A county circuit judge approved a warrant March 7 to search Weed's residence, a rental home in a gated community in PGA National, and seize computers and electronic devices belonging to him. Police retrieved photos, videos and cellphone applications, court records show.

School district spokeswoman Kathy Burstein declined to say when Weed was removed from the school, but a coach at the school told The Palm Beach Post that he vanished from campus in late February.

School administrators appointed a new acting athletic director, Karen Hart, at that time but provided no explanation for the sudden change.

"This is pretty shocking to me," the coach said.

Weed also taught math and was a prominent figure on campus, one who used to work as an announcer for the school's football games.

Principal Larry Clawson confirmed that Weed had been removed from the school but declined to comment further. He made a pre-recorded telephone call to parents Friday morning, saying that an unidentified staff member was involved in an off-campus situation and a law-enforcement investigation was taking place.

Clawson stressed to parents that the person was no longer at Palm Beach Gardens High or at any other county school.

Staff writer Julius Whigham II contributed to this story. [email protected] Twitter: @AMarraPBPost [email protected] Twitter: @ohitchcock [email protected] Twitter: @JRWagner5

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