Eliezer Santana {BSO}
A former Broward County JROTC instructor is behind bars after Miramar police accused him of repeatedly raping one of his 15-year-old students while using his position of authority to groom and exploit her more than two decades ago.
According to Miramar Police Department records, Eliezer Santana, 77, of Coconut Creek, surrendered Wednesday on a warrant charging him with sexual battery by a person in familial or custodial authority involving a victim between the ages of 12 and 17.
The school where the crimes initially occurred is redacted in the report, but Santana has prior charges related to his time as a JROTC instructor at South Miami Senior High School.
According to investigators, the victim reported that Santana sexually assaulted her more than 20 times between 2004 and 2005 while he was serving as her JROTC instructor. She was 15 years old at the time, and detectives say Santana was “in a position of power and trust” over her.
Investigators allege Santana first groomed the student by showering her with compliments, telling her she was beautiful and deserved someone who would care for her. Detectives say those conversations eventually escalated into inappropriate touching inside the JROTC office before progressing to repeated sexual assaults.
The victim told investigators Santana would have her come into his office, where he would sit close to her, rub her thighs and shoulders, and touch himself over his clothing. She later reported that Santana raped her multiple times inside the office when no one else was present, including on a conference table.
According to the arrest report, the victim said Santana also sexually assaulted her numerous times at an apartment complex in Miramar’s Sherman Circle neighborhood, including in the backseat of an Astro van and inside another vehicle. Investigators said the alleged abuse also occurred in Davie and Pembroke Pines.
As detectives reopened the case, they interviewed former coworkers and witnesses.
One former coworker told investigators he regularly saw the student alone inside Santana’s office with the door closed, although he never witnessed any sexual conduct.
Another witness said he became so concerned by Santana’s interactions with a different female student that he filed a formal complaint with the school’s principal, alleging Santana was speaking inappropriately to the girl and grooming her.
According to police, the witness said he was assured the matter would be handled and law enforcement would be notified, but investigators found no evidence Miramar police were contacted at the time.
Detectives also learned Santana later transferred to Miami-Dade County after leaving Broward Schools.
Santana remains jailed without bond as the case moves through the court system.
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