Guard faces charges for sex with minor

A former guard at a juvenile justice facility in Kissimmee was put behind bars on Tuesday after she allegedly had sexual relations with a minor in a cell earlier this year, according to the Osceola County Sheriff ’s Office.

Rachelle Edwards, 33, faces four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and two counts of lewd and lascivious touching of a minor, according to the Osceola County Jail website.

Edwards was a security guard who primarily worked the night shift at the Kissimmee Youth Academy, which provides mental health services as well as substance abuse treatment for juveniles, according to its website. The facility is operated by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

According to Osceola County Sheriff Marcos López, Edwards and a 17-year-old had a “fullblown relationship” over a two-week period between January and February.

About three weeks after he was brought in, the boy received a letter from Edwards, asking how old he was, López said in a Tuesday press conference. The two began exchanging letters back-and-forth.

Soon, the teenager was moved into a cell out of view from cameras and “that’s where all the sexual misconduct, to our knowledge at this point, took place,” López said.

The boy told his parents “some of what was going on,” leading them to contact the facility. The Sheriff’s Office then opened a formal investigation.

López said both the minor and Edwards were “uncooperative” at first, denying that anything had happened. Eventually, however, the teen opened up to investigators.

Edwards gave “a full confession,” the sheriff said.

The Department of Juvenile Justice has also opened an internal investigation into the matter, said López.

“When something like this happens at a detention facility, our public trust … is damaged,” he said. “If you work in any type of environment like this, you need to just resign or quit if you’re going to be doing stupid things like this.”