After Sexual Relationship With Underage Student, IMG Teacher Faces Charges: Sheriff

BRADENTON, FL — A former teacher at IMG Academy faces multiple charges after having a sexual relationship with an underage student, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Taylor J. Anderson was arrested and charged with sexual battery by custodial authority, traveling to meet a minor and transmission of harmful material to a minor.

Detectives with the MCSO’s Crimes Against Children Unit were notified Sept. 14 by IMG staff about a possible sexual relationship between a teacher and an underage student.

IMG administration overheard rumors about the relationship and confronted the student involved to confirm whether they were true. The student admitted to having sex with Anderson, then a teacher at IMG, and she wasn’t allowed back on campus, the sheriff’s office said. She was fired shortly after this.

During the investigation, detectives learned that Anderson was communicating with the student via direct messages, social media and texts for several weeks.

They also learned that the 38-year-old teacher picked up the student from their apartment in July and traveled to the beach, where the pair engaged in sexual acts in her vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.

Anderson refused to speak with detectives and invoked her right to seek legal counsel. Evidence was found after search warrants were written for her residence, her vehicle and her cell phone.

That evidence, along with the statements made by the student and data obtained from the student’s cell phone, were used to develop three arrest warrants for Anderson, MCSO said.

Detectives attempted to serve the arrest warrants at Anderson’s residence, but she wasn’t there at the time. Her attorney was contacted and updated on the charges.

After several days of evading deputies, including a brief trip out of state, she turned herself in Monday night at the Manatee County Jail.