A retired Miami teacher has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old student on multiple occasions, the Miami Herald reports.
An arrest warrant was released by the Miami-Dade Schools police and the State Attorney’s Office on Friday detailing the allegations made against 70-year-old Tom Miller Privett. Privett allegedly groomed a student throughout her high school career before eventually having sex with her every day for nearly three months.
Privett was a history and government teacher at the Terra Environmental Research Institute Magnet School for 30 years. Per prosecutors, Privett first met the victim in 2012 when she was a student in his 9th-grade history class. Privett used the grief she was experiencing following a family death to make advances toward her by touching her inappropriately.
"These touches began as rubbing her arms while in class, then rubbing her back, and continued to kiss her on the head, cheek and partial lips," the arrest warrant details.
In tenth grade, Privett allegedly verbally and mentally abused the victim. He continually made comments about her weight, leading the girl to develop an eating disorder so that she can "look good" for the teacher. The next school year, Privett began to talk to her about his "sexual desires" and fetishes. Eventually, the two had sex during her senior year in 2016.
Per the warrant, Privett took her virginity and the two had intercourse every day until the school year ended. Even after the girl was involved in a car accident that caused pain in her hips, Privett insisted that they have sex "because this is what she was supposed to do."
"The victim further alleged that she and Privett engaged in sexual activity every day after school inside of Privett’s classroom for the next three months until the school year ended," the state claims.
The victim came forward with the information in December 2019. She then cooperated with authorities to help build a case around the disgraced teacher. The victim called Privett and she and the teacher engaged in conversations about their alleged sexual encounters while detectives listened. These conversations were enough to arrest Privett on charges of sexual battery with a child under custodial authority.
