DeLand charter-school teacher charged with sex crime

PHOTO COURTESY VCSO
Booked — Jose Tirado Jr. of Deltona remains in the Volusia County Branch Jail, charged with sexual battery on a child under the age of 12. Investigators said they are concerned there could be other victims.

Sheriff's Office alert for other possible victims

By Pat Hatfield
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted May 30, 2009 - 3:05:27pm

DeLand charter-school teacher Jose Tirado Jr. remains in the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond, charged with sexual battery of a child under the age of 12. Investigators are continuing to search for other potential victims.

No new victims have come to light so far, Volusia County Sheriff's Office spokesman Brandon Haught said May 29.

Tirado, 25, was arrested May 20, after Volusia County Sheriff's investigators took a statement from a young boy who said Tirado performed a sexual act on him at Tirado's home. No bail was allowed.

Tirado, a fifth-grade teacher at Boston Avenue Charter School in DeLand, had been running a summer day camp at his home. The victim and his family had known Tirado for about three years, the charging affidavit stated.

The victim spent the night at Tirado's home on Dublin Road in Deltona May 14, in preparation for an early departure for a field trip the next morning.

At 5:30 a.m. May 15, the victim called his mother and said he was sick, and wanted to come home.

Later that morning, the victim told his parents Tirado had kissed him and performed a sexual act on him.

That afternoon, at the DeLand office of Children's Advocacy Center, the young child told investigators from the Sheriff's Office and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) that Tirado had had him sleep in Tirado's bed the night of May 14.

The boy said he struggled and told Tirado to stop, but Tirado held the boy down with his hand on the boy's chest and proceeded to perform the sexual act.

The boy said Tirado told him not to tell his parents.

The charging affidavit noted, "During the victim's interview, the defendant text-messaged the victim asking the victim if he was ok."

Principal Frank Jones at Boston Avenue Charter School said the school had received no complaints about Tirado.

"He had a very thorough background check," Jones said.

Jones said all the charter school's teachers are screened and background-checked through the county school district. In addition, though only staff involved in the preschool or the school's extended day-care program are checked through DCF, Tirado came to the school "with credentials," Jones said. He had already been checked through DCF.

Screening through both the school district and DCF is more screening than public-school teachers get, the principal said.

Tirado had worked with YMCA programs for years, Jones said.

"When we set up the preschool program, he was familiar with DCF requirements," he added.

Sheriff's Office spokesman Gary Davidson said investigators are looking into the possibility that there could be other victims. He asked anyone with any information to contact the Sheriff's Office at (386) 736-5979.

— pat@beacononlinenews.com

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