POLICE: Olympic Heights High School Para Educator Charged With Molesting Disabled Boy

Alvaro Rodriguez Charged With Sexual Battery On Mentally Defective Person

POLICE: Olympic Heights High School Para Educator Charged With Molesting Disabled Boy – Alvaro Rodriguez

BOCA RATON, FL – Boca Post (BocaPost.com) — Alvaro Rodrguez, a para-educator at Olympic Heights High School in Boca Raton has been arrested after being accused of molesting a disabled boy under his care.

Alvaro Rodriguez, 73, of the Pheasant Walk community in Boca Raton, was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail yesterday morning at 7 AM.

According to an arrest report submitted by the Palm Beach County School District Police, a 22-year-old disabled man was interviewed by a detective with the School Police along with an interview from the Child Protection Team (CPT) of Palm Beach County.

WARNING – The following description is disturbing.

The alleged victim told interviewers that he was there because of “Alvaro”. When detectives asked what happened with Alvaro, the alleged victim said he replied “in the bathroom” and then pointed at his knees and the floor. When asked if his clothes were on or off, the alleged victim said the clothes were off. When asked, the alleged victim said Alvaro was behind him during the act.

The interviewers proceeded to exchange drawings with the alleged victim. The interviewer switched to a diagram of the front and the back of a boy and asked the alleged victim how Alvaro hurt him, he replied with “pene”, which translates to Penis in Spanish. When asked where Alvaro put his “pene”, the alleged victim pointed to the bottom. When asked if it hurt, the victim said it hurt his bottom and stomach. When the victim was asked where Alvaro’s hands were, he indicated that Alvaro was holding his wrists.

The report says that after the interview a medical examination was conducted by a doctor who said the victim’s rectum had “abnormal findings with an appearance of tissue of rugae with scarring at the anal verge”.

Based on the report, we know that the victim was 22 at the time of the statement given to the police in May. It is unclear at this time if the victim was still a student or if he was reporting an incident that occurred prior.  Alvaro indicated on his arrest paperwork that he is a “para” at Olympic Heights High School.

The legal requirements for Rodriguez to be charged with sexual assault are outlined below:

The Florida State Statute 794.011(4)(B), which Rodriguez is accused of violating, reads “A person 18 years of age or older who commits sexual battery upon a person 18 years of age or older without that person’s consent, under any of the circumstances listed in paragraph (e), commits a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, s. 775.084, or s. 794.0115.”

Further, 794.011(4)(E):

(e) The following circumstances apply to paragraphs (a)-(d):

1. The victim is physically helpless to resist.

2. The offender coerces the victim to submit by threatening to use force or violence likely to cause serious personal injury to the victim, and the victim reasonably believes that the offender has the present ability to execute the threat.

3. The offender coerces the victim to submit by threatening to retaliate against the victim or any other person, and the victim reasonably believes that the offender has the ability to execute the threat in the future.

4. The offender, without the prior knowledge or consent of the victim, administers or has knowledge of someone else administering to the victim any narcotic, anesthetic, or other intoxicating substance that mentally or physically incapacitates the victim.

5. The victim is mentally defective, and the offender has reason to believe this or has actual knowledge of this fact.

6. The victim is physically incapacitated.

7. The offender is a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, or correctional probation officer as defined in s. 943.10(1), (2), (3), (6), (7), (8), or (9), who is certified under s. 943.1395 or is an elected official exempt from such certification by virtue of s. 943.253, or any other person in a position of control or authority in probation, community control, controlled release, detention, custodial, or similar setting, and such officer, official, or person is acting in such a manner as to lead the victim to reasonably believe that the offender is in a position of control or authority as an agent or employee of the government.

Alvaro was released from PBSO custody on Thursday morning after posting a $150,000 bond. At his first appearance, the judge ordered that he have no contact with the victim, any schools, or anyone under the age of 18.

This was not the first time Rodriguez, a para-educator at Olympic Heights High School, has been arrested. According to court records, Rodriguez was arrested in late 2019 for cocaine possession while in the Boca Raton area. The state later dropped the charges for unknown reasons, which is typical in Palm Beach County.

Palm Beach County School District tells Boca Post that Rodriguez has not been on the Olympic Heights campus since the allegation was brought to the principal’s attention in May of 2021. Rodriguez was assigned to another position in the district where he was to have no contact with students until he was terminated last May.