JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4JAX I-TEAM is looking into the history of a Duval County Public Schools custodian arrested on child sexual battery and kidnapping charges.
As of Wednesday Wayne Williams, 62, remained behind bars after he was arrested on Nov. 8.
According to his arrest report, Williams raped a girl under the age of 12. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the case did not involve a student, but investigators believe there could be others who have not come forward yet.
“While the initial allegations against the suspect did not include any students, as the investigation progressed, the detective learned there were highly questionable and likely criminal interactions between the suspect and students at some of these schools,” Lt. Jacob Vorpahl, with the JSO Special Assault Unit, said Tuesday at a news conference announcing Williams’ arrest. “To our knowledge, this was the first time the suspect was accused of sexually battering a child, however, from information we have been able to obtain thus far by interviewing multiple people, there are indications that the suspect has been engaged in this type of activity going back as far as the early ‘90s.”
Records show Williams was a custodian at 10 schools in Duval County. Here are his previous work assignments, according to DCPS:
- Feb. 1993 – Raines High
- Oct. 1995 – Kirby Smith Middle (now named Springfield Middle)
- May 2001 – Brentwood Elementary
- May 2003 – School Custodial Services
- July 2003 – Matthew Gilbert Middle
- Oct. 2004 – Louis Sheffield Elementary
- Aug. 2005 – Workers’ compensation
- Sept. 2005 – Louis Sheffield Elementary
- June 2009 – San Mateo Elementary
- Feb. 2012 – Biscayne Elementary
- April 2014 – First Coast High
- April 2015 – Highlands Elementary
- July 2016 – Ramona Boulevard Elementary
DCPS said internal investigations on Williams have been conducted three times prior to this matter:
- 2015 – Investigated for inappropriate comments of a sexual nature about students in a conversation with an employee. DCPS found those claims unsubstantiated.
- 2018 – Investigated for non-sexual inappropriate comments with students and given a verbal warning.
- 2021 – Investigated for an allegation of asking a student for nude photos. This was referred to the Department of Children and Families and JSO. A district investigation concluded the allegations were unsubstantiated.
The I-TEAM has requested his full personnel file from DCPS, including the three prior alleged misconduct investigations. The school district is processing the request for records.
On Wednesday, News4JAX spoke with psychologist Tracy Alloway, Ph.D., about red flags.
“I think it’s always heartbreaking when you see something years later, and there is evidence,” Alloway said. “I think this is a good opportunity to go back and see what else could’ve been prevented and then to learn from this.”
Alloway said that sexual abusers often have more than one victim and that those victims could repress their feelings, keeping them from coming forward.
“Some individuals will even talk about how there’s a gap in their memory. They will say I don’t really remember much about this in my life. It’s almost like someone scooped out that menu for them and they really locked it away,” Alloway said. “An alternate approach is where that memory is constantly being relived.”
Police said anyone who has any information about other encounters should call JSO right away at 904-630-0500.