MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Detectives are investigating a report of a sexual assault that happened between 2012 -2014, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said on Tuesday.
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On Tuesday, deputies arrested 33-year-old Dontay Prophet on a warrant for lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim younger than 12 years of age.
On Oct. 12, 2024, Major Crimes Detective Annemarie Larocque began investigating a report of a sexual assault that occurred sometime between Dec. 2012 and Dec. 2014.
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The victim told deputies that Prophet, who was an adult at the time, molested him while staying at his home.
According to deputies, the victim provided a detailed recollection of the molestation and additional information that was corroborated throughout Detective Larocque’s investigation.
Prophet molested the victim for an extended period and advised the victim not to tell anyone because Prophet would get in trouble, deputies said.
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During the victim’s interview, he stated he was relieved when he learned of Prophet’s prior arrest because he believed it would prevent another child from being victimized.
After the sheriff’s office obtained the warrant for his arrest, Prophet was arrested during a court appearance for previous child abuse charges that occurred at a local private school where Prophet worked.
Prophet was transported to the Marion County Jail where he is held without bond.
Similar allegations were made against Prophet in 2017, and since then, he has been employed in fields allowing him access to children, deputies stated in a news release.
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WFTV covered a case involving Prophet in May 2024 where the alleged abuse of a Marion County student by his school principal was caught on camera.
Body-camera footage captured the moment Prophet was confronted about what deputies said happened inside a classroom.
Prophet’s arrest affidavit revealed more of what wasn’t released.
It stated that Prophet grabbed the student’s inner thighs, got him into a “chokehold,” “wrapped his legs around the student,” and prevented him from leaving.
According to the arrest affidavit, the student even tried to hide under the table, and Prophet dragged him out.
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Prophet claimed he was trying to stop the student from hurting himself. Investigators said the video shows otherwise.
Prophet was terminated immediately, school officials said.
That wasn’t the first time Channel 9 covered Prophet - In 2019, Prophet was arrested for inappropriately touching a student at South Ocala Elementary.
In May 2019, Prophet faced charges after officials said he touched a child inappropriately while working as a camp counselor.
Officials said Prophet befriended the victim while working at the camp and eventually invited him to his apartment. Ocala police said that’s where Prophet inappropriately touched the victim.
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School officials said they placed Prophet on paid leave and removed him from any type of campus access once they learned about the investigation in February.
After the incident, South Ocala’s principal sent the following message to parents: “A Marion County public school employee, who worked at South Ocala Elementary, was arrested Wednesday. This employee has not been at South Ocala since February.”
According to deputies, during the investigation into Prophet’s arrest for child abuse revealed that he has engaged in grooming behaviors.
Due to the prior allegations and the nature of this case, detectives strongly believe that there are additional victims out there.
If you have any information about additional victims, call Detective Larocque at (352) 369-6805.
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