NAPLES, FL – The Collier County Sheriff’s Office today reported that former Palmetto Ridge High School track coach Amed Garriga-Smith, 37, has been charged for a sexual relationship had with a student at the school.
“A former non-instructional assistant and track coach at Palmetto Ridge High School is charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor after a Collier County Sheriff’s Office investigation determined that he had sex with a student in 2021,” the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said today.
Smith, 37, was taken into custody on an arrest warrant Thursday at his residence.
According to a report by the CCSO, “The victim’s mother contacted CCSO on Sept. 22 and said her daughter had confided to her that she recently had a sexual encounter with Garriga-Smith. The investigation, which included text messages obtained from the victim’s phone, supported that there had been a sexual encounter between Garriga and the victim at Garriga-Smith’s residence. In addition, Garriga-Smith confessed when he was interviewed by detectives.”
According to Collier County Public Schools, Garriga-Smith resigned from the district on Oct. 1, 2021.