Tampa Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With Student

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) - A Tampa high school teacher has been arrested on charges he had sex with a student for more than a year, officials said.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office arrested Alberto Rivera Claudio, 46, a teacher at Bloomingdale High School. He faces 12 counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.

The sheriff's office said that between November 2019 and last December, the teacher had a sexual relationship with a female student who was under 18 years old. At one point, Rivera Claudio was the student's Spanish teacher.

"Educators have the responsibility to teach their students right from wrong, but this suspect didn't seem to understand the difference himself," said Sheriff Chad Chronister in a news release.

Under Florida law, it is a crime for people who are 24 or older to have consensual sex with children who are 16 or 17 years old.

Investigators did not say how they found out about this case. Rivera Claudio remained in jail on Saturday on a $180,000.00 bond, but records did not list an attorney for the teacher.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)