Astronaut High School JROTC Teacher Charged With Child Molestation

TITUSVILLE, Florida – Dodd A. Mitchell, a former Astronaut High School JROTC teacher, was arrested for allegedly having sex with a student beginning in April 2014 when she was in 9th grade.

The student alleged that she had sexual intercourse with Dodd over 50 times throughout Brevard County over the course of two years until June 2016.

Investigators say that the 55-year-old became emotionally distraught when the sexual relationship with the student ended and that he sent multiple emails to the student where he admitted to having sex with her.

An arrest warrant was issued by Brevard County Circuit Court Judge Charles Roberts on October 9, 2017 for Dodd. He was arrested by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, October 10, 2017, and booked into the Brevard County Jail under a $250,000 bond.

According to Brevard County Public School records, Dodd was JROTC instructor up until the 2016-2017 school year at Astronaut High in Titusville, Florida.

“Brevard Public Schools won’t stand for any kind of predatory or sexual behavior toward students by its employees,” said Matt Reed, assistant superintendent for government and community relations.

“When students or parents come forward to report potentially criminal behavior, we act — including calling the police or sheriff’s office to investigate. Today, we are saddened and infuriated to learn of the arrest of a former JROTC instructor at Astronaut High. If the principal or other school staff were aware of the off-campus relationship, they would have acted to stop it and remove the teacher from campus immediately.”

Dodd is among a long list of Brevard Public School employees who have been charged with sexual offenses related to children in recent years.

In August 2017,  a  Brevard County Public Schools teacher was sentenced to 8 years in prison and 10 years of probation after he traveled to a prearranged location in Brevard County to meet what he thought was a teenage girl for the purpose of engaging in a sexual relationship.

In July 2017, a former BPS bus driver and substitute teacher was arrested on allegations of child molestation.

Also in July 2017, a Satellite High School teacher was charged with lewd and lascivious conduct and promotion of sexual performance of a child under 16 years of age.

In June 2016, a Spessard Holland Elementary School principal was arrested for possession of child pornography.

In May 2016, an Edgewood Jr./Sr. High School teacher plead guilty to having sex with a 15-year-old student.