Haines City, FloridaChase Crabb, 23, of Kissimmee, Osceola County, was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of sexually assaulting a student at Haines City High School (HCHS).
The investigation started when a 16-year-old girl told her mother that, between December 2023 and December 2024, she had been getting sexually explicit messages and pictures from her previous substitute teacher, whom she called Mr. Chase. When the victim was fifteen years old, the connection started with email and progressed to text messages and conversations on social media sites including Instagram, TikTok, and Discord.
Reports state that after learning of the student’s split with her boyfriend, Crabb’s texts became sexually provocative. He is accused of soliciting naked photos from the student, sending numerous sexually suggestive messages that included pictures of himself, and trying to talk her into having sex.
When the girl told her mother about the occurrence, the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) was notified right away, which brought the case to light. On January 15, 2025, DCF and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation.
Among the passages included from the text chats is Crabb’s own admission that his actions were improper:
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October 2, 2024
: Uhhhhh, I mean is it wrong for me to be sexually attracted to a minor? WHO SAID THAT -
October 22, 2024
: Nah cause they won t be interesting [adult females] It s more fun to groom heh -
October 23, 2024
: The only time I d cut your off is if I genuinely felt like if I continued the police would come after me.
Sheriff Grady Judd denounced the behavior, saying that it is disgusting and immoral for anyone to sexually exploit a minor under any circumstances, particularly when the child is a substitute teacher. They are trusted to safeguard and guide our children, not to exploit them. It is a grave betrayal of trust when someone in that position goes too far. We are dedicated to ensuring that those who injure children are held responsible and suffer the repercussions of their crimes.
Likewise, Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Heid voiced his indignation, Any educator who uses their position to engage in inappropriate contact with a student is abhorrent and repulsive. Those who act in such a manner will be apprehended, and we wholeheartedly endorse law enforcement’s efforts to safeguard our pupils.
