We broke the story on April 26th about allegations of a P.E. Teacher at Johnson Middle School’s involvement in a “fight club” at the school. Today the Melbourne Police filed charges against Paul Eller with the State Attorney’s Office. In a press release they stated:
On Tuesday, April 25, 2023, the Melbourne Police School Resource Officer at Lyndon B. Johnson Middle School was contacted by the school’s administration regarding a fight that had occurred during school hours on April 21, 2023. Video was obtained of two students who were fighting in the boy’s locker room during a gym class.
In addition to the two fighting students, the video captured a group of student spectators along with the physical education teacher (Paul Eller) watching the fight. During the short fight one of the students sustained a minor injury which caused the fight to stop. While some of the spectators were talking about the injury, a single voice [Eller], could be heard making a noise to encourage the participants to begin fighting again. The two students began fighting again and it was only after a third student jumped into the fray that Eller took any action to break up the fight and separate the students.
Based on the information obtained during the investigation, the Melbourne Police Department has filed the following charges with the State’s Attorney’s office:
- Neglect of a Child
- Culpable Negligence
- Disruption of School Function
The Brevard County Public School’s will be addressing any administrative concerns raised as a result of this incident.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Melbourne Police Department at 321-608-6731. You can also remain anonymous and call Crime line at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477)
Previously the Brevard School District released a statement:
It was reported that a Johnson Middle School PE teacher allegedly played a role in allowing students to fight on campus. Upon learning of this allegation, law enforcement and the Department of Children and Families were contacted, and the teacher was placed on administrative leave. There is an active police investigation along with an internal school district investigation. We will have no further comment at this time.
The Principal at Johnson sent out a letter to the student’s families involved:
