News Cast for June 11th:
Former Okeechobee High School long term substitute and sports coach Omar Ayala pled no contest to one felony charge of authority figure engaging in romantic relationship with minor.
Ayala was sentenced to five years in prison and five years’ probation with sex offender conditions.
He was involved in a sexual relationship with a child in 2020.
When news of the charges came down, Ayala fled the area to Mexico.
A friend and former deputy Arturo Dominguez assisted Ayala in his flee from law enforcement. He ran Ayala’s name on police computers to check for a warrant for his arrest.
Dominguez lost his job at the Osceola County Sheriffs Department and served two months in jail. He was also sentenced to three years probation on charges of official misconduct and accessory to a second-degree felony.
He also surrendered his law enforcement credentials.
Ayala was arrested in July, 2023 after he flew back to the US from Mexico. He had no prior record.
Prosecutors said it was a negotiated plea approved by the victim.
The defense requested Ayala be placed in a prison close to Okeechobee.
The investigation centered around cell phone evidence.
Ayala was found to have purchased jewelry and clothing for the student. An internal investigation found no evidence of a relationship. He was disciplined by not being allowed to coach sports, or have girls in his classroom during lunch.
He resigned his school board position on March 31, 2023.
The victim told investigators that the relationship began when she was 16 and that the couple had sex at Ayala’s home on multiple occasions.
An Okeechobee woman Crystal Lamb was charged with cutting a man with a knife during an argument.
Lamb was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
The victim said he tried to prevent Lamb from using a faulty electrical outlet and causing an outage.
She allegedly grabbed a kitchen knife and cut his finger