GADSDEN COUNTY, FL (WTXL) — Four arrests are bringing new attention to how school leaders and law enforcement handled a student's report of sexual abuse in Gadsden County.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
ABC 27's reporting and newly obtained affidavits show how this case unfolded.
ABC 27 first reported this story in July 2026, after authorities arrested Gadsden County High School resource officer Sedele Canidate on six felony charges involving minors.
At a school board meeting that month, Superintendent Elijah Key said the allegations weren't new.
"This ain't the first year that allegation has been made," Key said.
But the affidavits ABC 27 has now obtained say school officials and officers never reported an April 2025 disclosure to Florida's child abuse hotline.
At that July meeting, Key told board members the allegations had been reported to the Department of Children and Families.
"A matter of fact, it's the third time the third principal that has reported that allegation to children and family," Key said.
According to the affidavits, on April 11, 2025, investigators say a student told school officials and law enforcement officers that Canidate had sexually abused her. Investigators say none of those officials called the hotline.
Former Principal Tamika Hughes-Leeks told investigators she notified Key before the meeting. She said Key directed her to turn the investigation over to Lieutenant Tiffany Buckhalt.
On May 7, 2025, Sheriff's Lieutenant Chris Daniels wrote a memo questioning the student's allegations. But investigators say he never filed an official police report or called the abuse hotline.
On November 10, 2025, two other students reported new concerns about Canidate to school employee Charles Hobbs. The affidavit says then-Principal Marlon Ball spoke with the students and called DCF after they left.
That call concerned the November complaints — seven months after the April meeting. The records describe two separate events: a November report to DCF and an earlier April disclosure that investigators say no one reported to the hotline.
In November 2026, an assistant state attorney confirmed four more arrests: Hughes-Leeks, former Assistant Principal James Vernon, Daniels and Buckhalt. All four face charges of failing to report child abuse.
The three affidavits ABC 27 obtained focus on the alleged failure to report the April disclosure. The Clerk's Office did not provide Vernon's documents.
Prosecutors say all four left jail on their own recognizance without having to post bond.
I reached out to DCF and submitted a public records request to find out when the agency received reports involving Canidate. The Sheriff's Office says an internal review is pending.
All four are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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