A Florida A&M University assistant professor was arrested on charges of alleged sexual abuse of a male minor that continued for years, investigators said.
Gari Tookes, 36, was arrested Thursday on charges of sexual battery, lewd and lascivious battery, and lewd and lascivious molestation, according to court records.
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office received information on Feb. 23 from the Florida Department of Children and Families about an alleged sexual battery, according to a press release Thursday.
Investigators with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crimes division discovered that Tookes had criminal sexual contact with the victim for several years before the February report.
SAN FRANCISCO DAYCARE WORKER CHARGED WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY POSSESSION
The victim was touched by Tookes “inappropriately” when he was in elementary school, and the latest incident occurred when he was a young teenager, according to the arrest report.
Tookes allegedly communicated through text messages regarding the sexual contact with the victim, which corroborated the victim’s first report.
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office obtained a warrant for Tookes and arrested him, taking him to the Leon County jail on Thursday.
Tookes was hired by the university in August 2018, and a March 2020 announcement from the school listed him as the director of the Master of Social Work program.
“The Human Resources Department is reviewing the status of Tookes’s relationship with the university,” a university spokesperson told the Tallahassee Democrat.
Tookes is being held without bond in the Leon County Detention Facility. His first court appearance is set for Friday.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Washington Examiner contacted the Leon County Sheriff’s Office public records department but did not immediately receive a response.
