PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A 20-year-old assistant football coach at Seminole Ridge High School, who has since been fired, faces multiple charges after allegedly kissing and touching a 14-year-old student on school grounds.
Ruben Tirado was arrested on Wednesday following an investigation that revealed at least four inappropriate interactions with the student were captured on surveillance cameras, according to his arrest report.
WATCH BELOW: Seminole Ridge HS assistant football coach accused of misconduct with 14-year-old student
The incidents allegedly occurred minutes after school dismissal.
The principal of Seminole Ridge High School sent a message to parents on Wednesday saying that the School District of Palm Beach County had terminated Tirado's employment.
However, police say the school is not where Tirado first met the teen.
According to a sworn interview with the victim, the girl met him at a community park where Tirado coached her flag football team with the Acreage Athletic League.
Tirado also coached boys' teams for the league and spoke with WPTV this past summer about the growing popularity of flag football.
Tim Opfer, who serves on the executive board of the league and has a son on the Seminole Ridge High School football team, called the situation disturbing.
"It's unsettling. It's upsetting," Opfer said. "These are things that you never really want to imagine happening to anyone."
Opfer said the league had no prior complaints against Tirado and that he had passed background checks.
"I do all the background checks. And as of Jan. 1 of this year, we started doing the level two background checks, the criminal history background checks," Opfer said. "We've background checked over 225 volunteers this year alone."
The league has revoked and suspended all of Tirado's privileges. Opfer explained that the league's background check system now provides ongoing monitoring of volunteers.
"As soon as he got processed, there was a ping," Opfer said.
The case began when someone reported Tirado anonymously, according to the arrest report.
Therapist James Phillips, CEO of Above and Beyond, said cases involving children and authority figures highlight why parents aren't the only ones responsible for protecting children.
"The enemy of them is an involved parent and an involved community," Phillips said.
Opfer emphasized the importance of vigilance.
"There's no substitute for being vigilant," Opfer said.
Tirado began working at Seminole Ridge High School in September and had been with the Acreage Athletic League for years. Police are asking any other potential victims to come forward.
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