HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a high school principal after investigators determined he failed to report allegations of child abuse involving a minor at a daycare operated on school grounds.
Detectives with the Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Section began investigating on May 9, 2025, after receiving information about a 4-year-old child who was allegedly inappropriately touched by a 16-year-old suspect while attending the daycare at Spoto High School.
According to investigators, the school’s principal, Jazrick Haggins, 43, was notified of the allegations in April but failed to report them to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) or law enforcement for 14 days. Under Florida law, any school official or educator who knows or suspects child abuse is legally required to report it immediately.
Detectives said Haggins admitted he was aware of the accusations but claimed he was conducting his own internal investigation instead of contacting authorities as required.
A warrant was later issued for Haggins’ arrest. On October 24, 2025, deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Lakeland Police Department located and arrested him. He was transported to Polk County Jail and charged with Failure to Report Child Abuse, a violation of Florida’s mandatory reporting statute.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office emphasized that educators and childcare providers are critical to protecting vulnerable children, and failure to report suspected abuse not only violates the law but endangers lives.
Haggins’ arrest underscores the importance of Florida’s mandatory reporting law, which requires teachers, administrators, and all school staff to immediately report any suspicions of child abuse, neglect, or exploitation to DCF’s abuse hotline or local authorities.
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