JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Duval County teacher jailed on five charges involving sex acts with three boys entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment Monday.
Michael Worrell, 62, is being held in the Duval County jail without bail. His next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 27.
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Worrell worked as a fourth grade teacher at Greenfield Elementary School on the Southside when he was removed from the classroom on Aug. 22, according to the Duval County School District. The School Board voted last week to suspend him without pay, the first step in the termination process.
He was arrested on four counts of sexual battery on a child and one count of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child.
It is unclear whether the victims were Worrell's students, but according to a police report, three children all told investigators Worrell sexually assaulted them in various local hotels from 2006 to 2012.
The victims ranged from 9 to 13 years old at the time of the offenses.
Worrell spent nine years in the school system. He was first hired as a substitute teacher, but received a full-time position in 2006 as a fourth grade teacher at S.P. Livingston Elementary School.
Worrell also taught at Paxon Middle School from 2009 to 2011 before his last stint at Greenfield.