FL Vice Principal Arrested In Child Abuse Case: Hillsborough Sheriff

TAMPA, FL — A vice principal and teacher at Progress Village Middle School face charges related to a child abuse investigation, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Teacher Bennie Leverett, 39, put a student in a chokehold, “restricting (their) ability to breathe before eventually releasing the hold,” on Jan. 28, the sheriff’s office said.

Tashiska Fabian, 41, the school's vice principal, met with Leverett and the student after learning about the incident, which she never reported to the child abuse hotline or law enforcement.

When Fabian learned that another student had recorded the incident, she instructed them to delete the footage, the sheriff’s office said. The deleted video was later recovered by detectives.

HCSO responded to the school with the Department of Children and Families on Feb. 16. Following the investigation, Leverett was arrested and charged with child abuse on March 14.

Following further investigation, detectives determined Fabian failed to report this incident and issued a warrant for her arrest. She was arrested and charged with failure to report child abuse on Sept. 4.

"It is deeply troubling that a teacher would harm a student, but even more so when a person in a position of authority fails to do the right thing and report the crime. This is a complete betrayal of trust within our community," Sheriff Chad Chronister said. "I'm proud of the witness who stepped up and did the right thing by reporting the incident, ensuring law enforcement could step in and bring justice for the victim."