A 43-year-old baseball coach and student services coordinator at Celebration High School was arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual conversations and interactions with multiple, teenage female students.
During a press conference on Thursday, April 6, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez provided details behind the arrest of Samuel Enrique Figueroa, who is facing multiple felony charges, including lewd and lascivious molestation.
According to Lopez, several weeks ago, a parent came forward to file a complaint accusing Figueroa for having inappropriate conversations with her daughter. Detectives opened a case and over the past few weeks, several female students provided similar accounts accusing Figueroa of making sexual comments or touching them inappropriately during their interactions with him.
In one instance, Figueroa, who had worked at Celebration High School since 2018, instructed a teenage student to go into a school bathroom, take pictures of her breasts, and send the pictures to him.
During other incidents, Figueroa allegedly made vulgar, sexual remarks about how students’ bodies looked and how their bodies made him “sexually aroused,” according to Lopez.
Two students have come forward and disclosed that Figueroa touched them in a sexual way.
During their investigation, OCSO detectives found multiple victims at the high school. Lopez says all of the victims that have been identified by police are between the ages of 15 and 18.
Lopez says police believe there could be more victims and is asking anyone with any encounters with Figueroa over the past several years to come forward.
“He has abused his power, he has abused his position, and is a sexual deviant who was lurking in our schools,” said Lopez.
Figueroa faces multiple charges, including lewd and lascivious molestation, lewd and lascivious conduct, sexual performance by a child, unlawful use of a two-way communication device, offenses against students by an authority figure, and lewd or lascivious touching of minors.
Lopez says as the investigation continues, more charges are likely to be filed against Figueroa.
Figueroa was terminated from his position at the school on March 29, 2023.
He is currently being held at the Osceola County Jail.