OCALA, Fla. – An assistant coach at a high school in Ocala is accused of sexual activity with a minor student, according to police.
James Edward Ford III, 43, faces charges of using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, traveling to meet a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, offenses against students by authority figures and unlawful sexual activity with certain minors, booking records show.
Ford was an assistant coach for West Port High School, police said.
A school resource officer was informed last week of an alleged relationship between Ford and a student, according to a news release shared by the Ocala Police Department. A detective interviewed the student, who said she and Ford began talking via text and phone calls in January 2024 before they started meeting outside of school that August, the release states.
The student told police that she and Ford kissed — at one point in a school locker room — and had a sexual encounter in Ford’s vehicle in September 2024, when the student would have been 16 years old, according to the release.
Ford was arrested on Friday, police said.
Marion County Public Schools issued a statement saying that Ford is no longer employed at the school. To read their statement, see below:
“Mr. Ford was a supplemental (assistant) coach at West Port High School. As of this past Thursday (January 16, 2025), he is no longer employed by the school nor Marion County Public Schools. He also is not allowed on campus for any reason.”
Marion County Public Schools
The police department seeks to hear from anyone else who may have experienced similar behavior, according to the statement.
News 6 has reached out to the school and to the Marion County school district for comment.
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