After-school program counselor sent explicit photos to middle school students, cops say

A former counselor for an after-school Boys & Girls Club program at Ocoee Middle School is facing several charges after two students said he sent them nude photos early last year, records show.

In interviews with detectives, Gabriel Mills, 22, claimed to be dating one of the victims and confirmed he sent nude photos to her and another student but said he did not know why he did it. He met the students through working as a counselor with the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida, an affidavit showed.

He is facing a charge of lewd or lascivious conduct, two counts of showing obscene material to a minor and two counts of transmitting material harmful to minors, according to records.

The victim told police while she was in a relationship with Mills, he asked her to perform sexual acts but she declined, an affidavit said. She said the two would meet in his car in the parking lot of a local library.

Mills, who was 20 at the time, told detectives he knew he should not be in a relationship with the middle school student but was afraid of how she would react if he broke up with her.

The victim told police she tried to break up with Mills but he threatened to kill himself if she did, a detail Mills disputed in interviews with detectives, the affidavit said.

Gary Cain, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida, confirmed in a written statement that Mills worked part-time in the organization’s After School Zone program at Ocoee Middle School from February to April 2019. Mills passed a criminal background check prior to being hired, Cain said.

Mills was fired immediately after one of the victims told a staff member

Mills had sent her inappropriate photos on social media, Cain said. Staff reported him to Ocoee police and the Florida Department of Children and Families in accordance with the organization’s mandated reporting policy.

“Safety of our club members has always been, and remains, our highest priority,” Cain said. “We consider one incident of inappropriate conduct by a staff member to be one too many.”

Mills was booked into the Orange County Jail Wednesday on $10,600 bond.