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2 Teachers Accused Of Improper Conduct With Female Students

News Channel 8 photo by PETER MASA

Detectives sit outside of Ronnie Lewis' home Thursday afternoon.

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By Mike Wells of The Tampa Tribune and Mark Douglas of News Channel 8

Published: January 31, 2008

Updated: 01/31/2008 09:02 pm

Two male teachers were removed from Hillsborough County classrooms this week amid unrelated allegations of inappropriate conduct with female students.

Newsome High School's boys soccer coach Ronnie Lewis, 37, was arrested this evening at his house and charged with seven counts of sexual activity with a minor, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

He was removed from a classroom Wednesday after allegations surfaced that he had an inappropriate relationship with a senior student who was 17 years old and is now 18, Hillsborough County School District spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said.

The sheriff's office said Lewis and the girl had intercourse seven times last year, either at his home or in his vehicle, between Feb. 27 and Nov. 24.

On Jan. 19, Lewis told a juvenile he had a sexual relation with the victim since February 2007, the sheriff's office said.

In an unrelated incident, a Plant High School physics teacher was removed from class Thursday after he was accused of sending inappropriate e-mail to a 17-year-old student.

The district's office of professional standards is investigating Newsome coach Lewis, who also is a computer lab aide at the school, Cobbe said. She would not elaborate on the investigation.

Thursday, the district contacted the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office about the allegations against Lewis, Cobbe said.

Thursday afternoon, sheriff's patrol cars were outside Lewis' Valrico home.

When contacted by The Tampa Tribune, Lewis declined to talk and hung up his phone. A message left immediately afterward on his voice mail was not returned.

School officials first learned of the allegation Wednesday from a parent, Cobbe said.

Lewis was suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation, she said. The district hired him in July 2004 as a substitute teacher.

He became the boys head soccer coach at Newsome in July. He started working in the school's computer lab in August, Cobbe said.

Lewis had previously worked as an assistant coach for the girls soccer team at Bloomingdale High School.

Lewis had also been a coach with the Brandon Area Youth Soccer League. He was fired in October for poor performance, President Steve Jarosz said.

The Newsome senior played for the Brandon Flames, which Lewis coached, according to the team's Web page.

"He was charismatic," Jarosz said. "The girls loved playing for him."

Before he was hired by Hillsborough Schools, Lewis worked as a radio DJ and co-host for WRQC Real Rock 92.5 in Fort Myers and as a producer at WMTX Mix 100.7 in Tampa, according to the application he filed with the school district.

The school district suspended Plant teacher Christopher Gillis, 22, with pay pending an investigation, Cobbe said. He was hired in September. The district is reviewing his computer to see if the case needs to be reported to law enforcement.

Officials first became aware of accusations against him late Wednesday when an assistant principal saw the female student in a hallway and asked how she was doing, Cobbe said. The student then reported the e-mail.

Reporter Neil Johnson contributed to this report. Reporter Mike Wells can be reached at (813) 259-7839 or mwells@tampatrib.com.

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