Arrest warrant issued for 2nd teacher of Chappell Schools, sheriff’s office says

ST. JOHNS, Fla. – An arrest warrant has been issued for a second staff member of Chappell Schools in St. Johns County, who is now a former employee, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Previously, News4JAX reported on Anthony Guadalupe, 18, a teacher’s assistant who is facing 12 counts of lewd and lascivious molestation and two counts of lewd exhibition in connection with children who all attended Chappell Schools.

News4JAX on Thursday obtained an additional report for Neal Beaver. The 45-page incident report notes that Beaver was a teacher in the VPK classroom with students between the ages of four-and-a-half and age 5. It details a chronological list of complaints against Beaver. Each complaint alleges inappropriate touching during the time Beaver worked at the school in 2021.

The incident report states that Beaver was fired in late December of last year after he and the principal got into an argument over a student’s behavior in class. Following his termination, video footage from his classroom was reviewed and that’s what led to a lengthy investigation into sexual misconduct.

The incident report says a victim, who was said to be a 4 year old girl, was seen on video being inappropriately touched multiple times by Beaver. Each event captured on video was very descriptive in terms of where Beaver’s hands were touching the girl’s body.

Back in March, according to the report, investigators interviewed Beaver via Zoom since he had moved to Germany. The incident report says Beaver told detectives that he and the girl were close and that the girl would often climb on his lap, but he did not feel his behavior was inappropriate.

Investigators said they interviewed school staff who were close to Beaver. Eventually, a judge signed off on the warrant for Beaver’s arrest based on video evidence and statements by school staff.

Beaver is now the second former Chappell School employee this year to face sexual assault charges involving students. Guadalupe is awaiting trial after he was arrested this past summer. Investigators said he was first seen on surveillance video sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl in class, but when detectives reviewed three months of school surveillance footage, they said they uncovered additional victims.

RELATED: Surveillance video identifies 7 additional child molestation victims of St. Johns preschool employee, investigators say

Allegations of sexual abuse have led to two separate lawsuits filed against Chappell School. The lawsuits claim the school did little to protect children from being sexually assaulted. The school CEO issued a written statement to parents following the first lawsuit involving Guadalupe, which says in part:

“The complaint notes horrible allegations that go far beyond what we know to be factual. There are multiple stories circulating that highlight grossly exaggerated and false allegations/actions by Chappell.”

Now that there’s a warrant for Beaver, the next step is taking him into custody and then extraditing him back to the U.S. It’s unclear if St. Johns County detectives are working with German authorities to have Beaver taken into custody and then extradited back to the U.S., or if Beaver will fly back to the U.S. and surrender himself.