Parents trust teachers to look out for the best interests of their children.
One educator was leading a terrible double life.
And Florida parents were horrified over one sick scandal involving a teacher.
Police arrested a teacher found naked in an elementary school on Thanksgiving
The police in Port St. Lucie, Florida were hoping to have a quiet Thanksgiving night.
A phone call brought those plans to an abrupt end.
“The more it unfolded, the weirder it got,” St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Deputy Eric Holbert said.
Police found a naked teacher with illegal drugs inside of elementary school at 9:30 pm on Thanksgiving.
Joe Urias, 34-year-old, was alone in the classroom of K-5 Windmill Point Elementary School in Port St. Lucie when sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about a burglary.
Urias put his clothes on and tried to make a break for it when sheriff’s deputies discovered him in the classroom.
Holbert chased him in hot pursuit outside of the elementary school.
“I identified myself, I held both of my hands up and said ‘deputy sheriff, stop! And he said ‘no bro’ and tried to run through me,” Holbert told CBS12 News. “We tussled a little bit, he hit me right here in the lip, I hit him in the jaw and I was able to hold him with a jiu-jitsu seatbelt grip.”
Multiple deputies had to subdue Urias before he could be arrested.
Urias, who teaches at the Somerset College Preparatory Academy, told the sheriff’s deputies that he was temporarily homeless and broke into the elementary school through an unlocked window.
“He said that he was homeless and what he has been doing is teaching at his school and then hanging out at a Starbucks and then sleeping in the public wherever he can,” Holbert recalled. “He knew this week that schools were out, so he was going to break into the school and stay there for the week.”
A search of the classroom where Urias was found turned up a place to sleep, illegal drugs, clothes, and food.
Teacher pays the price for his Thanksgiving breaking and entering
Urias was arrested on charges of battery of a law enforcement officer, lewd and lascivious behavior, and burglary.
Port St. Lucie Police Chief Leo Niemczyk was glad that children were not at the elementary school when the naked teacher was there.
“There were no children present,” Niemczyk stated. “There was nobody inside the school at the time. He was by himself. You know, as to the vulgarity, I think I just don’t even want to get into his mind and think about what he was thinking.”
Urias’ Thanksgiving escapades cost him his job at Somerset College Preparatory Academy.
“We have handled this matter administratively and will take all necessary actions to ensure that this individual does not return to our campus,” Somerset College Preparatory Academy said in a statement.
School officials stressed that they had a rigorous background check that teachers had to undergo before they were hired.
Sheriff’s deputies got more than they bargained for when they responded to a Thanksgiving call.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments to this ongoing story.
