Manatee school bus driver was convicted of soliciting a prostitute. He’s fighting to keep his job

A former school bus driver convicted of prostitution is fighting to keep his job with the Manatee County School District.

A jury Feb. 8 found Jerome Heaven, 50, of Palmetto, guilty of soliciting a prostitute, according to court records. Manatee County Judge Robert Farrance sentenced Heaven to 12 months of probation and ordered that he complete 100 hours of community service. During his probation, Heaven must also undergo STD screening and complete a restorative justice class.

The school district learned of the arrest in early August, and before the school year began informed Heaven he was being reassigned to the cafeteria at the Professional Support Center. The temporary assignment assured he would have no contact with students.

Heaven has been a school district employee since 2003, and a bus driver since 2007, according to district records.

On March 2, Heaven was served an administrative complaint, along with a letter from Superintendent Diane Greene informing him she was recommending to the school board that he be fired.

“As a result of this conviction, Mr. Jerome Heaven is not qualified to work in a capacity that has direct contact with children,” stated the complaint.

But Heaven is fighting his termination and requested an administrative hearing. In his request, Heaven disputes the facts, claiming that the “allegations was an entrapment with a reasonable doubt.” Heaven also insists that he was not at work at the time, so he shouldn’t be fired as a result.

At 9:30 a.m. Friday, the Manatee County School Board will hold a hearing regarding his termination during a special meeting. School district attorney Mitch Teitelbaum said the district could not comment because Heaven was entitled to due process.

Heaven’s arrest occurred shortly before midnight on July 27 during an undercover operation by the Bradenton Police Department targeting “Johns” soliciting prostitutes, according to an arrest report.

The undercover detective was in the 2500 block of 14th Street West in Bradenton when Heaven told her he was looking for sex, police reported. The two agreed to have sex for $35, and once he paid her, other officers moved in to arrest him.

The school district tried to fire Heaven once before.

In 2008, allegations were filed against Heaven by other school district employees claiming he was having inappropriate interactions with girls who rode the bus he drove. After interviewing the two employees, students and Heaven, as well as reviewing video footage from the bus, an investigation concluded the evidence substantiated the allegations.

When one of the three girls was asked if Heaven made her feel uncomfortable, she said, “He’s nice, but when he stares at girls’ butts, yeah. People have told me that he stares at my butt.”

The investigation also sustain allegations that Heaven was insubordinate and that he abandoned his position without leave. The allegations arose during the course of the investigation when Heaven was reassigned to the maintenance department and told he would be washing buses, but he refused the assignment.

Heaven fought his termination then, and was granted a hearing by the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings. Ultimately, the hearing concluded that school district’s case was not strong enough to justify his termination.

This story was originally published March 22, 2018 at 4:05 PM with the headline "Manatee school bus driver was convicted of soliciting a prostitute. He’s fighting to keep his job."