JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- By all accounts the 26-year-old was great in the classroom. But a boy younger than 12 tells JSO investigators shocking details about what allegedly took place at Bacca's apartment on St. Johns Avenue in Avondale. They include tales of showering with the teacher, touching, and oral sex on an overnight stay at Bacca's home.
Police arrested Bacca Tuesday afternoon shortly after questioning him at JSO Headquarters. They charged him with multiple counts of sexual battery of child.
Only months ago, Windy Hill Elementary awarded Bacca "Teacher of the Year" honors. "He was a mentor to me," said a shocked former Windy Hill student Chandler Sightler, "He was a pretty cool guy.”
Twelve-year-old Chandler told Action News that Bacca provided additional guidance to him and a small group of boys outside of school for the past couple of years. "People thought he was gay. But he has a wife, so I didn’t think that," said Sightler.
Bacca is a former Flagler College student who got married this past March. That’s also when the Florida Times-Union profiled him for an article hailing Bacca as a finalist for Duval Teacher of the Year. It quotes Bacca saying: "Every child craves love. And not every child gets the love they deserve at home. And so whose job is it to provide that love for them? I think it’s mine. I know that it’s mine."
Duval's school superintendent is suspending Bacca without pay and recommending his termination at the next board meeting in August.
Bacca's is also the co-chair of the youth ministry at Riverside Presbyterian Church.
