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Miami teacher molested, inappropriately texted 3 young girls, cops say. He’s now locked up

Miami Herald - 5/11/2023

A Miami educator, who taught at private Catholic and Jewish schools, landed behind bars last week after officials say three young girls came forward telling police he molested or sent them sexually inappropriate messages.

Eric Bernard Givens Jr. is facing charges of battery, offenses against students by authority figures, lewd and lascivious conduct on a child and lewd and lascivious molestation of a child, records showed. The 29-year-old was remained jail as of Thursday afternoon.

Miami police told the Miami Herald the three children Givens is charged with accosting attended St. Mary Cathedral School. The Archdiocese of Miami said in a statement that he taught at the school during the 2019 - 2020 school year before being terminated for sending an inappropriate text to a student.

“Continuing to follow the ADOM Safe Environment Policy, counseling is being offered although the victim is no longer a student at the Cathedral school,” the Archdiocese said.

On March 9, the first child, a 14-year-old girl, told authorities Givens, nicknamed Mr. G, molested her multiple times when she was in the fifth grade in 2019, a Miami police report read. She noted Givens would grab her, as if hugging her, and purposely squeeze tightly so her chest would press against his body.

He would hold her in that position for about ten seconds, per the report. One time, he even made a point to separate her from other students so he could stare the teen up and down, before letting her return to the class.

A 10-year-old girl, his former third grade student, also informed authorities she texted him about students not passing the third grade and identified herself. He replied with messages such as “I wanna see you again,” “Always wanted to date you” and “Oh wow I wanna see you bad,” the report detailed.

Additionally, he sent a picture of himself only wearing boxer briefs. When later arrested May 5, Givens told detectives he thought he was talking to the girl’s mother. However, detectives say it the student and him texted for several days and she made clear it was her.

On May 2, another young girl, whose age was not released, told her school counselor she was raped by Givens when she was in the fifth grade, according to the report. She told detectives that he would touch her for most of the 2019 school year.

It started with pulling her hair back and grabbing her wrist to the point she would bruise — which would happen almost daily. On about seven occasions, he would come from behind her and place his hands on her chest, the report read.

After being fired from St. Mary Cathedral School, he went on to teach at the Scheck Hillel Community School. Ari Leubitz, head of the school, said in a statement none of Givens charges are connected to the school.

Leubitz said Givens underwent a criminal background check and a reference checking process. To his knowledge, the molestation allegations were not made public before his employment.

The school has since terminated Givens, but it unclear for how long he was teaching there.

“Student safety and well-being always have been and always will be our priority,“ Leubitz said.

©2023 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.