A band teacher at a Miami-Dade school has been arrested after he allegedly had a sexual relationship with one of his students.
Heihachiro Nakashima was arrested on Tuesday, July 14, on three counts of lewd and lascivious battery by an authority figure, according to Miami-Dade jail records.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation into Nakashima, 33, after the alleged victim claimed she had been engaged in a sexual relationship with him earlier this year when she was 15 years old, according to an arrest warrant viewed by NBC Miami.
The teen said that she and Nakashima, who was her band teacher, began communicating over text message after he gave her complimentary tickets to one of his orchestra performances.
“He began grooming the victim by purchasing her numerous items,” Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Detective Jesus Llanes said on Wednesday, July 15, per the outlet. “He would groom the victim by purchasing her items, making her believe that they were in love and he would provide like an authority figure over her.”
The teen claimed that Nakashima frequently told her he loved her, though he allegedly made the statements platonically.
Nakashima and the student allegedly had their first in-person meeting outside of school around March. At the time, he allegedly picked her up from her home after she told her parents she was spending time with a friend. She said they had intimate contact but did not have sex on the occasion, per the warrant.
However, she said they engaged in sex acts on another occasion at Nakashima’s home and they allegedly continued meeting at his home to engage in sex acts between March and June.
Nakashima’s arrest warrant was issued on June 15, but he wasn’t arrested and booked into jail until July 14.
He appeared in court on July 15 and a judge set his bond at $45,000 with a GPS monitor, while he was also ordered to stay away from the alleged victim. During the court appearance, Nakashima’s defense attorney argued that his client was not a flight risk or a danger to the community. Additionally, he noted that Nakashima has no prior criminal history and surrendered himself to authorities.
It is not currently clear if Nakashima has entered a plea.
Following the arrest, Llanes said that investigators are looking into the possibility that Nakashima may have more victims.
“Well, the subject was a teacher and he has access to numerous children, so we just ask the community to speak to your children and give us a call if you have any information,” he said.
Llanes also issued a warning to parents.
“Speak to your children, see if they’ve come home with numerous items that are, if your children don’t have a job and they’re coming home with items that basically they don’t have the ability to purchase, we ask you to go through their phones, go through their social medias, look at their accounts,” he said.
Parents, teachers, and guardians interested in learning more about protecting children from exploitation can find useful tools and information at Know2Protect.
