Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
- School Resource Officer Unit

Mark McConnell (Victim- Injured)
Age: 49 years old
Employment: Pinellas County Schools- Associate

Jaclyn Rivera (Victim- Uninjured)
Age: 32 years old
Employment: Pinellas County Schools- Teacher

Damond Sears (Arrested)
DOB: 12/13/2002
Address: 11696 126 Terrace North, Largo
Charges: One count of Battery on School Board Employee

Matthew Reaves (Arrested)
DOB: 06/21/2003
Address: 601 16^th Avenue SE, Largo
Charges: One count of Battery on School Board Employee

Jaydan Harris (Arrested)
DOB: 05/06/2002
Address: 12630 118^th Street North, Largo
Charges: One count of Battery on School Board Employee

What:
Deputies assigned to the School Resource Officer Unit have arrested three middle school students for battering a teacher and a support employee at Seminole Middle School.

When:
The incident occurred at about 3 p.m. on April 18, 2017.

The students were arrested on April 21, 2017.

Where:
The incident occurred at Seminole Middle School located at 8701 131^st Street North, in unincorporated Seminole.

Why/How:
Deputies assigned to the School Resource Officer Unit have arrested three middle school students for battering a teacher and a support employee at Seminole Middle School.

According to deputies, their investigation began at about 3 p.m. on April 18, 2017, after a school employee reported that he was injured by two students in the hallway of Seminole Middle School.

Deputies obtained the school surveillance video and discovered that two employees were battered by three middle school students during the same disruptive outburst on April 18, 2017.

Deputies say the incident started when, 14-year-old Damond Sears, caused a disruption in his classroom.  His classroom teacher, 32-year-old Jacklyn Rivera, instructed Sears to leave the room and report to the office. Sears left the room but then returned in an agitated state and tried forcing his way back into Rivera’s classroom. Afraid that Sears was trying to confront the other students in her room; Rivera stood in the doorway and tried to re-direct Sears away from her students.

Deputies released school surveillance video showing Sears violently pushing Rivera in the midsection as he forced his way into the classroom. Students from Rivera’s classroom physically dragged Sears out into the hallway where an altercation occurred between students. This re-occurred multiple times.

Deputies say that 49-year-old Mark McConnell, a school associate at Seminole Middle School, responded to the hallway following Sears’ outburst. McConnell was walking down the hallway when one of Rivera’s students, 13-year-old Matthew Reaves, stole McConnell’s keys out of his pocket. McConnell struggled with Reaves to retain his keys as 14-year-old, Jaydan Harris, grabbed McConnell from behind and forced McConnell to the ground causing minor injury to the school employee.

Deputies say that McConnell sought medical attention for minor injuries the following day.

Deputies arrested Sears, Reaves, and Harris at Seminole Middle School on April 21, 2017.

The juveniles were transported to the Pinellas Juvenile Assessment Center. They were each charged with one count of Battery on School Employee.

Surveillance video of the incident can be viewed on our YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTGU_qAiRyo&t=3s