A middle school volleyball coach is facing charges after a student reported he was sexually abused in a gym bathroom by a school staff member.

  • Deputies: Student reported sexual abuse in middle school gym
  • Keyunta Murphy charged with lewd and lascivious battery
  • Boy, Murphy communicated via Instagram, investigators say

Keyunta Murphy, 23, was arrested at about midnight Tuesday, charged with lewd or lascivious battery on a victim under 16. He's a campus advisor and volleyball coach at Taylor Middle-High School in Pierson, which has 1,700 students.

According to Volusia County deputies, a 14-year-old student's mother contacted a school resource deputy Monday afternoon to report that her son said he was sexually abused by a school staff member earlier in the day.

The boy told investigators that Murphy contacted him while he was in class and asked him to come to the office with him. The boy agreed, but the two went to a gym bathroom instead, where the boy said he was abused in a stall, according to deputies.

The boy indicated that he and Murphy had been in contact through Instagram and that Murphy had offered $200 to “touch it,” deputies said. A detective said he confirmed that the boy and Murphy had been conversing through Instagram.

School district officials sent out a phone message letting families know about the arrest and that a background check was conducted on Murphy. They say Murphy had no prior convictions.

According to district spokesperson Nancy Wait, Murphy has resigned from the school, effective immediately.

Jessie Price said Tuesday that she always waits in her red truck for her grandson to be released from school.

“It’s hard to believe it happened right here, where everybody knows everybody. But it happens everywhere,” Price said.

In addition to the lewd and lascivious battery charges, Murphy is also charged with using a computer to seduce/solicit/lure a child and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

Murphy bonded out of the Volusia County Branch Jail and jumped into a white truck before he could respond to allegations against him.

District officials are encouraging parents and grandparents to talk to students about what happened and to report any inappropriate behavior.

“I always tell (my grandson) if something happens at school, tell Granny, and she’ll take care of it. And if Granny don’t, Momma will,” Price said.