Students’ accusations that a high school baseball coach at Santa Fe High School in Alachua, Fla., was engaging in predatory behavior were ignored by administrators for years, according to a law enforcement complaint.
According to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement complaint obtained by Gainesville ABC affiliate WCJB, FDLE investigators recommended charges against three former Santa Fe High School employees accused of failing to appropriately investigate, document or report allegations of sexual harassment against female students.
The State Attorney’s Office has assigned an investigator to review whether charges of child neglect and failure to report child abuse should be filed against Michele Faulk, the former athletic director, and David “Mac” Rendek, the former assistant principal, and Timothy Wright, the now-retired principal.
According to the complaint, FDLE investigators spoke with several witnesses and six alleged victims of Travis Yeckring, the baseball coach.
Some of the allegations were already detailed in a lawsuit filed by a parent of one of the high school girls Yeckring is accused of harassing.
As reported by WCJB's Ryan Wyatt Turbeville, the six underage girls describe numerous incidents in which Yeckring made flirtatious comments to them, showed shirtless or semi-nude photos of himself, touched them and tried to get them to spend time with him outside of school.
One of the photos Yeckring showed a student depicted the coach naked, lying in a bed with nothing but a blanket covering his groin, Turbeville reported.
The FDLE report details how the victims and witnesses told Faulk, Rendek and Wright about how Yeckring made them feel uncomfortable, and agents determined they had known for at least two years about multiple incidents involving Yeking and had failed to act, per Turbeville's reporting.
Alachua County School Board officials told WCJB that both Faulk and Rendek were placed back on administrative leave Thursday when details of the criminal investigation were revealed.
The State Attorney’s Office is reviewing the complaint to determine whether charges will be filed. At this time, no arrest warrants have been filed.
