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Sebastian River High School athlete accused of sex with underage teenager at school

Posted at 3:11 PM, Dec 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-07 23:24:04-05

A Sebastian River High School football player is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old at the school according to a sheriff’s office affidavit.

Jamal Levon Riggins, Jr., is facing a charge of lewd or lascivious battery.

The teenager said the pair had consensual sex in the ‘team room’ during a football game after he was ejected on November 18, a sheriff’s office report states.

A detective investigating the case gathered evidence for a warrant by pretending to be the teenager and using Snapchat to message Riggins.

In one of the exchanges Riggins said, “Say nun happened we were chillin,” according to the affidavit.

Court records show that the girl's counselor tipped investigators off to the relationship. Her parents put her in counseling when they found out about her sexual relationship with Riggins.

Bond for Riggins was set at $7,500.

When asked for a comment, the Indian River County School District issued the following statement:

"The District is aware of the situation and investigating the matter. Currently this is a Sheriff's investigation as well.  Due to FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act ),  I can't discuss specific student information.”

WPTV legal expert says the charges are very serious. "If convicted, he could definitely go to prison. He could definitely have to register as a sex offender," Suskauer said.

It is unknown if the charges will impact his recruitment to play college football.

State law could protect him from having to register as a sex offender if he is convicted of Lewd or Lascivious Battery.

The "Romeo and Juliet" law allows teens in similar situations to petition to be taken of the registry if the victim is at least 14-years-old, the offender no more than four years older than the victim, and the relationship was consensual.
 
Previous criminal history can also be taken into account.
 
“I think society has to look at this and say are these the types of cases that we want in the criminal justice system using tax payer money?” Suskauer said.