Former Coach Accused Of Lewd Behavior Gets Probation
Plea Deal Also Includes Teaching License Forfeiture
Benjamin White, former Oakleaf High School girls’ weightlifting coach, was arrested in 2023 and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a student at the school. Two years later, White accepted a plea deal for a lesser charge of child abuse without great bodily harm.
In return for adjudication being officially withheld, White was given a three-year probation period with the following conditions:
Plead guilty to the lesser charge of child abuse.
Forfeiture of teaching license.
No unsupervised contact with minor children other than his own.
Mental health evaluation and treatment.
Notification to parole officer before travel
Court costs and fees of approximately $300
The amended charge is outlined in Florida Statute 827.03, and people convicted under this statute can face up to five years in prison, five years of probation, and $5,000 in fines. White’s plea avoids almost all of these consequences, and with adjudication officially withheld, he will avoid having a third-degree felony conviction on his record.
White will also avoid having to register as a sex offender, and in three years could potentially work or volunteer with children again. As of the time this article was published, White was still featured in several posts on Oakleaf High School’s Facebook page.
How did this guy get an opportunity to plea bargain and receive no jail time??? I thought Clay County was a Conservative majority county, but it is treating child molesters like it was in California!