Principal indicted for failure to report sex crimes. Twenty-one other school employees, including teachers, administrators and counselors also knew and none reported.
First news story dated January 17, 2007 - School officials at Miami Northwestern Senior High are under investigation for failure to report a crime at school.
The public-corruption unit of the Miami-Dade state attorney's office is looking into allegations of sexual activities at the school including a report of a star football player's encounter with an underage girl in September.
The police were notified only because the mother met a police officer at a donut shop three months after the encounter and several complaints to the school, and complained she was tired of the runaround. [The mother had over 30 contacts with the school.] Police investigated and arrested the player two days later. The investigation of the school is ongoing.
INDICTED June 6, 2007 - The principal of Northwestern, Dwight Bernard, was indicted for two counts of official misconduct for failure to report on-campu
s sex crimes. The grand jury report said 21 school employees were aware of the bathroom tryst. And failed to report the crimes to police. It is alleged that when Bernard was told by other employees, he failed to act. Failure to report is a third-degree felony. The grand jury report was titled, "Justice Intercepted - The All Consuming Power of Football.".
There seems to be a lot of failure. From the Miami Herald:
CBS4 provides a link to the Grand Jury Report PDF (A must-read.)
June 7 - Miami Herald continues coverage (mostly quoting from the Grand Jury report they DON'T link to, with a damning photo of Bernard "grinning in a sport coat and sunglasses" as he arrived at the state attorney's office to turn himself in.
The public-corruption unit of the Miami-Dade state attorney's office is looking into allegations of sexual activities at the school including a report of a star football player's encounter with an underage girl in September.
The police were notified only because the mother met a police officer at a donut shop three months after the encounter and several complaints to the school, and complained she was tired of the runaround. [The mother had over 30 contacts with the school.] Police investigated and arrested the player two days later. The investigation of the school is ongoing.
INDICTED June 6, 2007 - The principal of Northwestern, Dwight Bernard, was indicted for two counts of official misconduct for failure to report on-campu
s sex crimes. The grand jury report said 21 school employees were aware of the bathroom tryst. And failed to report the crimes to police. It is alleged that when Bernard was told by other employees, he failed to act. Failure to report is a third-degree felony. The grand jury report was titled, "Justice Intercepted - The All Consuming Power of Football.".There seems to be a lot of failure. From the Miami Herald:
But the investigation was soon ordered shut down by Ronda A. Vangates, a top-ranking schools official. [She sent a letter to the police chief - Grand Jury Report, p 19.][The above statement concerning the School Chief does NOT appear in the Grand Jury Report.] 1999 state law requires adults who come in routine contact with children, such as teachers, principals and doctors to report suspected sexual abuse to authorities.
Vangates said she believed the investigation was administrative, not criminal, and was duplicating an administrative review already being done by Bernard.Miami-Dade schools police Chief Gerald Darling admitted he failed to tell Vangates and Superintendent Rudy Crew that the investigation was criminal.
CBS4 provides a link to the Grand Jury Report PDF (A must-read.)
June 7 - Miami Herald continues coverage (mostly quoting from the Grand Jury report they DON'T link to, with a damning photo of Bernard "grinning in a sport coat and sunglasses" as he arrived at the state attorney's office to turn himself in.
