PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A man identified in an arrest report as an English teacher is behind bars on Wednesday after the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said he committed sex crimes on a teen girl who was his student.
Damian Conti, 35, was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail late Tuesday on charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and an offense against a student by an authority figure.
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According to Conti's arrest report, a Palm Beach County detective responded to a Burger King, located in the 6400 block of Lantana Road, on Tuesday afternoon following a report of "possible unlawful sexual activity with a minor."
At the restaurant, a girl told a PBSO deputy she was having an "inappropriate relationship" with Conti, her teacher, and "she did not want him to get in trouble for their relationship," the report said.
Two sheriff's office detectives then made contact with Conti, who said "he was suspended earlier today from work." He identified himself as an "English teacher," and said the teen was his student.
The report, which was heavily redacted, said the pair would "communicate via text message, Instagram and spoke on the phone."
Damian Conti is listed as an English language arts teacher on the staff directory at SouthTech Academy, located on Woolbright Road near Boynton Beach.
WPTV on Wednesday spoke to Eileen Turenne, the principal at SouthTech Academy, who could not confirm that Conti is a teacher at the school, but did release this statement:
"SouthTech is cooperating with law enforcement as an investigation is ongoing. Beyond that, SouthTech is not commenting at this time."
In court Wednesday, a judge set Conti's bond at $300,000 and ordered him to not have contact with SouthTech, the alleged victim, her family, or anyone under the age of 18.