The head football coach at a Florida high school was accused of inappropriately touching and soliciting a student in class, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

>> Read more trending news

Melvin Jenkins, 35, who coaches at Spoto High School in Riverview, was arrested Wednesday, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Jenkins, of Bartow, faces a charge of soliciting or engaging in sex with a student.

According to an arrest warrant, Jenkins approached the student, who was seated near his classroom desk, on Dec. 6. According to the report, the student was playing a game called 8-Ball on his smartphone. Jenkins asked for the student's telephone number so they could play the game together, the Times reported.

Later that day, Jenkins allegedly met the student in his classroom and pulled him in for a hug and inappropriately touched him, the newspaper reported.

When confronted by deputies, Jenkins admitted to meeting the student, the Times reported. He was removed from his job on Dec. 7, the newspaper reported.

About the Author

Keep Reading

In 2016, Kevin Rowson left TV after 30-plus years and joined the FBI in Atlanta as a public affairs officer. (Twitter profile photo, 2016)

Credit: Rodney Ho

Featured

This image from video provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via DVIDS shows manufacturing plant employees waiting to have their legs shackled at the Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicle plant, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Ellabell, Ga. (Corey Bullard/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via AP)

Credit: Corey Bullard/AP