LAKELAND, Fla. (WWSB) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 32-year-old Lakeland man after multiple students at two Polk County middle schools reported inappropriate conduct while he worked as a substitute teacher.
Detectives identified the suspect as Emmanuel Sanchez, who the sheriff’s office said was employed as a temporary substitute through Kelly Services.
A 13-year-old student at Kathleen Middle School reported on Feb. 25, 2026, that the substitute teacher, who identified himself as “Mr. Jeremiah,” sat next to her with his thigh touching hers, then “rubbed it up her thigh” and told her “she was beautiful, had nice eyes, and that he liked her body,” according to the sheriff’s office. Detectives interviewed seven additional students who were in the classroom at the time, and their statements supported the student’s account, the agency said…