UPDATED: Middle School Security Employee Faces Sex Offense Charges
Mike Anthony Lievano | MCPD
UPDATED: A school security employee has been charged with inappropriate sexual contact with a 14-year-old female student at Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School in Silver Spring, police and school sources said Monday.
Mike Anthony Lievano, 21, of University Boulevard, Silver Spring, has been charged with sexual abuse of a minor, a third-degree sex offense, and fourth-degree sex offense, according to a Montgomery County police statement.
Detectives interviewed Lievano on May 5. Police continued their investigating, obtaining a warrant for his arrest. He turned himself in Sunday night and was taken to the county’s Central Processing Unit, police said. Bail was set at $10,000, and he is still in custody, according to online court records.
Montgomery County Public School administrators placed Lievano on administrative leave as soon as they learned of these allegations, police said.
According to the application for statement of charges, the girl told police she initiated contact with Lievano at school, sharing her telephone number. The two communicated via text messages, and “started officially dating” on March 29. She told police they had sexual intercourse at least four times at her home in Silver Spring and once at his home. She also told police that she would sneak Lievano into her apartment at night.
In a written statement, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Smith said he was “angered and deeply troubled” by the charges leveled against Lievano.
“MCPS remains committed to the safety of our students. We have developed and implemented staff training on preventing, recognizing and reporting child abuse as well as a curriculum on personal body safety for students at all grade levels. We will continue to take every appropriate measure to ensure our schools are safe and welcoming places to learn for students,” Dr. Smith said.
Lee Middle Principal Kimberly Hayden Williams said, in a letter sent home to families: “These charges are troubling and completely unacceptable, particularly given that security staff are placed in schools to keep students safe. The charges represent a violation of the core values of our school and school system. This behavior does not reflect the principles of MCPS or our community and it will not be tolerated.”
Police were notified of the allegations on May 4, interviewing the victim.
Schools spokeswoman Gboyinde Onijala said Lievano passed a background check before he started employment at the school in February.
“We are catching whatever flags do come up to make sure they don’t even set foot into a school,” she said.
Police asked that anyone who believes that a child may have been victimized by Lievano in a similar way should call the Special Victims Investigations Division at 240.773.5400.
In April, Mark Yantsos was charged with sex offenses; he was the school security chief at Richard Montgomery High School.
Here is Williams’ complete letter:
I am writing to inform you about the arrest of Mr. Mike Lievano, a security assistant at Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School on one count of sexual abuse of a minor, one count of third-degree sex offense, and one count of fourth-degree sex offense by a person in a position of authority. According to the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), the charges stem from an alleged inappropriate relationship between Mr. Lievano and a 14 year-old student.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has been fully cooperating with Child Protective Services, MCPD, and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office on this matter. Pursuant to our memorandum of understanding with these agencies and MCPS policies and regulations, the Special Victims Investigations Division of the Montgomery County Police Department requested us not to share any details broadly with the community until now to avoid prejudicing the ongoing investigation.
Mr. Lievano was placed on administrative leave after the allegations of his actions were shared with the school.
In addition to his role at Col. E. Brooke Lee, Mr. Lievano very briefly served as a part-time security assistant at Rockville High School from September 8, 2015 until February 12, 2016. Mr. Lievano then worked in private security until he was hired at Col. E. Brooke Lee in mid-February 2017.
These charges are troubling and completely unacceptable, particularly given that security staff are placed in schools to keep students safe. The charges represent a violation of the core values of our school and school system. This behavior does not reflect the principles of MCPS or our community and it will not be tolerated.
At Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School, we are committed to the well-being of all our students. A support team of school psychologists, counselors and pupil personnel workers from MCPS will join with our staff tomorrow, May 16, 2017 and will be available, as needed, to provide counseling and support to students.
Ensuring a safe learning environment for our students is a top priority. If you or your child have any information that may be helpful to the investigation, I ask that you call the Special Victims Investigations Division of the Montgomery County Police Department at 240-773-5400.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at 301-649-8100 if you have questions.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Hayden Williams
Principal, Col. E. Brooke Lee MS
Engage us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Tweets by @mymcmedia