Florida teacher arrested again for sexual offenses with students, dubbed ‘threat to the community’

A Florida teacher is being considered a “threat to the community” after being arrested for the second time since February for sexual relations with a student.

Arin Hankerd was arrested last week after a victim came forward alleging he sent inappropriate text messages and had a sexual encounter with the then-17-year-old student in 2019.

Hankerd reportedly met the minor at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, messaged the student on Facebook, and eventually convinced the student to come to his Ormond Beach home. At his home, the former gym teacher sexually assaulted the student.

Hankerd’s latest arrest comes after at least 30 women have come forward with information about the 43-year-old’s predatory behavior, four of whom claimed to be victims themselves.

That wave of accusations began after Hankerd was arrested on Feb. 10 for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old student at Atlantic High School, where Hankerd began teaching in 2021.

The former gym teacher and football coach resigned before he could be terminated and was out on a $250,000 bond. This time, the judge has decided against any bond. 

“We have another victim who has come forward also minor at the time of the offense,” Judge Karen Foxman said after Hankerd’s May arrest. “Mr. Hankerd is a threat to the community to the point that I do not feel that less restrictive means will keep the community safe.” 

Foxman concluded that the second allegation reveals a pattern of behavior by the former teacher of using his position to prey on vulnerable students.  

“If we just had one victim, I felt more comfortable that the community was safe. At this point, we have more than one victim and more serious allegations,” Foxman said. 

Atlantic High School, where the incident of the first arrest occurred, is less than five miles away from Mainland High School, but it appears that Hankerd’s reputation was either unknown or ignored by his most recent employer.  

Once His arrest was public, several social media posts from women claiming to be former students at either Mainland or Atlantic alleged that Hankerd’s misconduct with minors was a well-known pattern but ignored by school officials. 

“I told the school when he was being inappropriate with me and they did NOTHING…,” alleged one former Mainland student on Facebook. 

Mainland Mother Sara Castillo pulled her daughter from school this year because of Hankerd’s predatory behavior.  

“He started calling her pet names and it kind of escalated to him trying to touch her,” Castillo said during a February interview with Fox 35 News in Orlando. 

Castillo also said that when her daughter reported the former teacher’s behavior, the school told the family that it was “not the first complaint.” 

Hankerd had received at least three “letters of caution” since 2020 from the school, mostly to do with behavior towards girls. He was reportedly asked to be mindful of his interactions with female students.  

Hankerd was also accused of touching a female student’s thigh and asking for her number, but officials concluded that they did not have enough evidence to enforce any discipline. 

Hankerd now faces at least five felony charges from the February arrest, some punishable by up to 30 years in prison.