A former gym teacher and football coach at Atlantic High School in Port Orange, Florida, has been arrested once again for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a teenager from a different school where he previously worked. Arin Hankerd, 43, had previously been arrested in February for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student.
Following his initial arrest, an alarming number of women, totaling 30, came forward with accusations of predatory behavior by Hankerd. Among them, four women claimed to have been victimized by him. These revelations were made known by a Port Orange detective.
One of the victims, a 17-year-old girl who was a junior at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach in 2019, disclosed that she had been lured to Hankerd’s residence in Ormond Beach. There, she was coerced into performing oral sex on him, as per court documents cited by The Daytona Beach-News Journal.
On Tuesday, Hankerd was rearrested and charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, which has been elevated to a first-degree felony. Additionally, he faces charges of offenses against students by authority figures, classified as a second-degree felony, according to the State Attorney’s Office.
During his court hearing at the S. James Foxman Justice Center, Hankerd, dressed in prison attire and handcuffed, was escorted by officers. The judge, agreeing with the prosecutors, deemed Hankerd a danger to the community and ordered him to be held in jail without bond until his trial. He is currently detained at the Volusia County Jail.
Sara Castillo, a concerned parent, stated that she withdrew her daughter from Atlantic High School after Hankerd began using pet names for her and made unwelcome advances. When her daughter reported the incidents, the school acknowledged that it was not the first complaint.
Hankerd had previously worked as a physical education teacher at Mainland High School in 2019 and Father Lopez Catholic School before joining Atlantic High School in 2021. Reports indicate that he had resigned from his position at Atlantic High School before any disciplinary action could be taken by the school district.
Over the years, Hankerd had received several warnings regarding his inappropriate behavior. In March 2020, while at Mainland High School, he received a “letter of caution” after engaging in discussions with a female student about alcohol and marijuana. In October 2021, he received another letter of caution for making inappropriate comments about the appearance of two female students. Furthermore, he faced a third warning letter for questioning a student about her boyfriend and her belly button piercing. There were also allegations of him grabbing the same student’s arm during class, as reported by Fox News.
The case involving Arin Hankerd remains an active investigation, as stated by Port Orange Detective Kelsie Nugent. Anyone with information regarding Hankerd is encouraged to contact Detective Nugent in the Special Investigations Unit/ICAC at the Port Orange Police Department, reachable at 386-506-5894.
