MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - Miami-Dade Police have arrested a school employee accused of sexually assaulting a girl at Brentwood Elementary in Miami Gardens.
The arrest occurred at the school located at 3101 NW 191st St., around 1:15 p.m., Tuesday.
According to police, the 4-year-old student accused 38-year-old Brian Holt, a paraprofessional at Brentwood, of touching and caressing her inappropriately during class, Oct. 23.
During the forensic interview, the victim said Holt, who has worked for the school system for 13 years, reached under her desk and started touching and wiggling his hand over her private parts.
The suspect has been charged with molestation.
Robocalls went out to parents of Brentwood students about Holt’s arrest.
“I don’t think there’s an innocent way that a 38-year-old man would be touching a 4-year-old girl in the middle of class,” the state prosecutor said in bond court Wednesday.
Holt’s attorney, Kristi Kassebaum, who was hired for him by the teacher’s union, insisted that the alleged bad behavior never happened.
“Based on a 4-year-old who was prompted by her mother,” she said.
Kassebaum argued the allegations against her client were intended as revenge for a dispute involving the other child’s mother.
“I think it is outrageous that we would put so much credibility in what a 4-year-old says over a grown man,” she said.
Wednesday afternoon, a 7News crew went to the Miramar address listed in Holt’s address report, but the person inside refused to come to the door.
But the crew later met a man who identified himself as Harry and said he’s known Holt for about four years.
“Terrible, that hurts me … ’cause I know him. I don’t think he would be capable of doing something like that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kassebaum indicated her client was innocent of the allegations.
“He’s been coaching football in this community for a long time. He’s loved, and he’s just devastated that somebody would make this sort of allegations against him,” she said.
When Holt is released from jail, he will be placed under house arrest with a GPS monitor while he waits for his next day in court.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools released a statement saying in part, “As soon as the allegation surfaced, the employee was immediately removed from the school setting and Miami-Dade Schools Police launched an investigation. The District has initiated employment termination proceedings and will ensure the individual is prevented from seeking future employment with this District.”
Kassebaum said Holt has no previous complaints against him with the school district.
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