Miami-Dade, FL - A public school teacher from Miami-Dade County has been arrested on multiple charges following allegations of an "inappropriate relationship" with a 12-year-old girl.
According to police, 26-year-old Martai Delvon McCullough is employed at Horace Mann Middle School in El Portal.
An investigation into McCullough was initiated by Miami-Dade Schools Police on June 30th, after the victim's father discovered evidence of contact between McCullough and his daughter.
McCullough's arrest report reveals that the teacher and the victim began exchanging Post-it notes with affectionate messages such as "I love you" shortly before Christmas.
Additionally, McCullough would reportedly purchase lunch for the victim through food delivery services like Uber Eats and DoorDash, and she would skip class to visit his classroom during his planning period.
According to the victim's statement to the police, initially, their interactions were limited to hugging inside McCullough's classroom.
However, the situation escalated, and they eventually began kissing on the mouth, with the teacher allegedly groping the victim's buttocks during these encounters.
The arrest report indicates that McCullough communicated with the student via Instagram and gifted her a bracelet for her birthday.
McCullough also allegedly solicited explicit photos of the victim's feet and exposed his genitals during a video chat on Instagram, with the victim taking screenshots as evidence.
McCullough was arrested on Tuesday and reportedly provided a "full confession" to detectives.
He now faces several charges, including offenses against students by authority figures, lewd and lascivious molestation of a child between the ages of 12 and 16, lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under 16, lewd and lascivious exhibition with a child under 16, and unlawful use of a communications device.
In response to the arrest, Miami-Dade County Public Schools has initiated employment termination proceedings against McCullough and is determined to prevent his future employment within the district.
McCullough has since posted bail and been released from jail.