Collier County JROTC instructor fired for alleged sexual misconduct

A teenage girl claims her JROTC instructor made sexual comments, touched her, asked her on a date and told her to keep her mouth shut.

Rey Guzman is out of a job, but he’s not sitting in jail for what he’s accused of doing at Palmetto Ridge High School in Naples.

For weeks, we’ve received emails and calls from viewers about Guzman.

On Thursday, we got the investigative report.

When we asked the Collier County Sheriff’s Office if he’d be facing charges, they said no.

How can a teacher invite a student out for drinks and ask them not to tell anyone or allegedly touch them inappropriately and not face charges?

A Department of Justice Studies expert told us those actions may not be criminal enough for jail time.

The paperwork shows that the investigation began on April 24, and Guzman was “not allowed to return to the campus until the investigation was complete.

The next day, he was out of a job.

“There is a morals clause in the code of conduct or the principles of professionalism for educators, that if they are doing something that would be inappropriate and immoral, an act of moral turpitude, then they can be disciplined,” said Pamella Seay FGCU professor of justice studies.

Amidst lots of redactions to overlook in the investigation, Seay wonders….

“I feel like there’s something missing in the report and something missing in the investigation,” Seay said.

Out of the 21 students who were questioned in the report about Guzman’s behavior, 13 said he either made them feel uncomfortable or made inappropriate jokes.

The rest of their comments were redacted.

While he won’t teach in Collier County again, the question is why he is not facing charges.

“I’m, again, concerned that this does not rise to a level of a criminal act, which would require the if there’d been probable cause, which means we have a reasonable understanding that this person did this crime, then that person would be brought before a state attorney, there’s been nothing of the sort,” Seay said.

All of the parents of the students involved in this investigation were notified, and DCF was involved.

CCSO said the investigation is now closed.