A 29-year-old teacher at Stuart Middle School was arrested Thursday night and charged with sexual battery after allegedly forcing a 13-year-old girl at the school to perform oral sex on him.
According to a Martin County Sheriff's Office report, the investigation begin when a school resource was alerted on March 27 regarding suspicious behavior involving a seventh grade math teacher.
The teacher, later identified as Jeffrey Tomasulo, was accused of tickling several female students, causing them to feel uncomfortable.
Detectives interviewed the girls, who said they were tickled on their stomachs, thighs and armpits.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said that was just the beginning.
“He was actually grooming children with the touching to see how far he could go," Snyder said.
Surveillance video taken outside of Tomasulo's classroom during first period on March 20 showed a 13-year-old seventh grade girl knocking on his door.
At that time, Tomasulo has a planning period and not teaching a class.
Video showed the girl entering his classroom 9:15 a.m. At 9:17 a.m., video shows Tomasulo opening the door and checking the outside handle of the door.
The girl then leaves the room with Tomasulo at 9:27 a.m.
On March 28, the girl's mother was interviewed by a detective. The woman said that her daughter said she performed oral sex on Tomasulo in his classroom.
The girl told the detective and a state attorney victim advocate that the teacher asked her "creepy" questions about her virginity.
She said Tomasulo asked her to stay longer after class and occasionally come to his classroom either during first or last period.
The teen said she felt pressured by him and that's why she performed oral sex on him approximately five times from Jan. 4 to March 20.
At first, Tomasulo denied any sexual involvement with the girl but did say he was alone with her on several occasions to tutor her.
He admitted to watching pornography in his classroom but said he was alone. Finally, Tomasulo told detectives that the girl performed oral sex on him while alone his classroom. He appeared to show little remorse, saying he was simply "an extremely horny male".
“It almost looks like he would like to transfer blame to our 13 year old victim, which is mind numbing," Snyder said.
Tomasulo was charged with sexual battery/custodial authority. He made his first appearance in court Friday morning where his bond was set at $250,000. He remains in jail Friday.
The Martin County School District released a statement on Friday saying they reacted immediately after learning about the allegations and removed Tomasulo from the classroom. Since his arrest he has been fired.
Tomasulo had been teaching at Stuart Middle for a year. Before that he spent part of the year teaching at Jensen Beach High as a substitute teacher.
According to records, Tomasulo was arrested in 2009 by Jupiter Police for the possession of cocaine and resisting an officer. Those charges were later dropped.
Stephanie Myron, a victim’s rights attorney says as a parent, it’s important to talk to your kids about what “normal” is. Predators pry on the vulnerability.
“If you’re not the person having that conversation with your child, someone else is. And if it’s the predator, that’s even worse, that’s the only source of information, is the predator," she said. “I think it’s important to have an open conversation with your child about any other person in their life, any other adult even people who are supposed to be people who you can trust. It’s okay to speak out that person. You’re not going to upset with them for the situation that they’re in.”
At home, there are signs to watch for with your kids: spending more time in their room, a drop in grades, and eating less.
"They avoid conversation or eye contact. Those are all red flags that something is wrong. As a parent, you need to step in," Myron said.
