Marion County teacher arrested on child sex abuse charges with middle school student

On Wednesday, May 7, Florida’s Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Major Crimes Detective Jordyn Batts arrested substitute teacher Dianely Torres for nine counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material and five counts of Transmission of Material Harmful to Minors.

Torres has fourteen felony charges against her for sending and receiving sexually explicit material to and from a middle school student. That list of charges could grow.

She was a long-term substitute teacher, meaning she was filling in for an extended period of time, not just on a day-by-day basis. ~ Fox 35 Orlando

In February, the School Resource Officer (SRO) received a complaint that a witness walked into Torres’ classroom and observed her massaging the juvenile victim’s head as it rested in her lap. During the investigation into this incident, the SRO learned that Torres had been previously disciplined for using the communication platform “Discord” to message students.

MCSO Major Crimes Detective Batts began her investigation and, through a search warrant served on Discord, as well as a search of the juvenile victim’s phone, located nude photos of Torres that she had sent to the juvenile victim, and sexually explicit drawings by Torres. Detective Batts interviewed Torres, who admitted to being in a “dating” relationship with the juvenile victim.

An e-mail sent home to parents identified Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks as the school where the incident happened, according to WESH-2 News.  Reportedly, Torres was hired by the company who provides Marion County schools with their substitute teachers on December 3, 2024 – and then fired on February 20.

Torres confessed that she and the juvenile victim had sent nude photos to each other, and she consented to a search of her phone, where detectives found nude photos of the juvenile victim. Upon reviewing Torres’ cellphone, Detective Batts located nine sexually explicit photos of the juvenile victim.

Torres was arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail. Given Torres’ acts with this juvenile victim, as well as prior disciplinary action for communicating with students on “Discord,” detectives believe there may be additional victims.

 If you or someone you know was victimized by Torres, please contact Detective Batts at (352) 368-3847.

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(Source: Marion County Sheriff’s Office)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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