In March 2022, Matthew Jonathan Hike, a 33-year-old educator at Livingstone Academy Autism Center in Seffner, Florida, was arrested following allegations of student harassment. The school—specializing in the education of children with learning disabilities—reached out to authorities when a student’s grandmother reported that her grandchild had been inappropriately touched by the teacher in the hallway, despite not being in his class (ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), FOX 13 Tampa Bay).
Investigators with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office determined that Hike had also shown the juvenile multiple pornographic images. He faced charges including five counts of lewd or lascivious molestation and three counts of distributing obscene material to a minor (Patch, lawandcrime.com). Sheriff Chad Chronister condemned the actions, stating that such abuse of trust has no place in the community (teamhcso.com, lawandcrime.com).
After being released on bond, Hike was arrested again in April 2022 when a second victim—a student and football player at Bloomingdale High School—came forward. The student claimed Hike had molested him more than 50 times between 2017 and 2021 while serving as his assistant football coach (Patch, ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), wtsp.com). This led to additional charges: three more counts of lewd or lascivious molestation and one count of authority figure soliciting or engaging in lewd conduct with a student (ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), FOX 13 Tampa Bay).
The surge in allegations prompted the sheriff’s office to urge any additional victims to come forward and contact authorities at 813-247-8200 (ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), CONAN Daily).
Livingstone Academy released a statement affirming full cooperation with law enforcement, stressing zero tolerance for abuse, adherence to screening protocols, and commitment to transparency and student safety (ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS)). Similarly, Hillsborough County Schools expressed deep concern, commending the courage of the victims and confirming that Hike had been terminated from his coaching position; the district emphasized the importance of trusted adult-student relationships (ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS), wtsp.com).
