A former Venice High School coach accused of molesting students 25 years ago turned himself in this morning, and this time he was taken into custody.
62-year-old James LaMorte Sr. tried to surrender Wednesday night, but the Sarasota County Jail didn't have a record of his arrest warrant and he was turned away.
When the former Venice High teacher and swim coach turned himself in today, he was arrested and he had his first court appearance this afternoon.
Investigators say LaMorte wasn't arrested Wednesday, because the arrest warrant hadn't reached the jail yet. It was because of a mix-up in statutes.
5 former students are accusing him of sexually abusing them 25 years ago. Prosecutors originally thought LaMorte couldn't be charged because of the statute of limitations. Now they say an obscure law discounts that when the accused is a public servant, and the state maintains teachers are public servants.
In court today, one prosecutor told the judge why LaMorte should be thrown in jail.
State Prosecutor: "All five victims are afraid for their safety…their also probably among the most traumatized victims I’ve ever seen."
We tried to contact the state attorney's office to find out what went wrong with the arrest warrant, but our calls were not returned.
LaMorte is out on a hundred thousand dollars bond. He's charged with sexual battery and two lewd and lascivious acts.
