Ex-Manatee school bus driver was convicted of soliciting a prostitute. He has now been fired

The Manatee County School Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to fire a former bus driver convicted of soliciting a prostitute.

The district placed Jerome Heaven, a bus driver since 2007, into a new position after a jury found him guilty of the misdemeanor charge in February. He was placed in the cafeteria at the Professional Support Center, away from students.

During his hearing on Tuesday, Heaven said he was offended when school officials separated him from students.

"Man, listen, I've got 13 children of my own," he said.

Mitch Teitelbaum, the district's general counsel, said on Tuesday that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement alerted school officials to Heaven's July 2017 arrest. Teitelbaum said the state agency regularly screens certain school employees and then sends a report to the district.

The district responded to Heaven's conviction by serving him an administrative complaint for his termination on March 2. Superintendent Diana Greene later recommended the board approve Heaven's termination, and Tuesday was his chance to argue to save his job.

He called media reports "garbage," arguing that he never paid for sex, and that his arrest was the result of entrapment.

"I don't know about you, but does it look like I have a problem getting women?" he said to the board. "No — never did."

"It had nothing to do with the school board; nothing to do with kids, and you want to take away my income," Heaven added during his closing statement.

Greene again voiced her recommendation to fire the former bus driver, and the board voted 5-0 to approve his termination.

Manatee County Judge Robert Farrance previously sentenced Heaven to 12 months probation and 100 hours community service.

His arrest followed an undercover operation by the Bradenton Police Department on July 27, 2017. Heaven was in the 2500 block of 14th St. West when he paid an undercover detective $35 for sex.

Tuesday was the second time Heaven fought for his job with the school district. He was accused in 2008 of having inappropriate interactions with girls on his school bus, and the accusation was later substantiated.

The Florida Division of Administrative Hearings, however, found the district's case was not strong enough to fire Heaven.

School board member Charlie Kennedy said on Tuesday that he lives just minutes from where Heaven's arrest took place. He voted for Heaven's termination and then wished the former bus driver luck with his future.

"This is personal to me because this is my neighborhood; this is my district," Kennedy said during Tuesday's hearing.

This story was originally published April 10, 2018 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Ex-Manatee school bus driver was convicted of soliciting a prostitute. He has now been fired."