Page 38 - Florida Sentinel 4-15-22

Crime
Murder Suspect Who Escaped Lake City Police Arrested
Ex-Teacher Accused
Deputies with the Colum- bia County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a man wanted in Hillsborough County for a murder last year. The man, identified as Katrell Hub- bard, had escaped from Lake City police earlier in the week. He was taken into cus- tody on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
Hubbard was wanted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in connection with a murder that took place on July 9, 2021. He was
man that took place at the Willow Brooke Apartments on Hellenic Drive. Hub- bard is wanted on one count of second degree murder (firearm discharge).
Last Wednesday, officers with the Lake City Police De- partment attempted to make a traffic stop around 7 p. m. They attempted to pull over a 2008 Chevrolet sedan driven by 26-year-old Hubbard. But he refused to stop and, following a brief chase, crashed the vehicle and fled on foot.
Another Student
KATRELL HUBBARD
wanted for the murder of a
A former teacher and coach is facing charges for two separate cases in which he had inappropriate physi- cal contact with students.
A victim, who was a stu- dent and football player at Bloomingdale High School, 1700 E. Bloomingdale Av- enue, in Valrico, came for- ward to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office on April 6, 2022. The student told police that from 2017 through 2021, Matthew Hike, 33, who was his foot- ball coach, molested him more than 50 times. The vic- tim was under the age of 18 at the time of the incidents.
Hike worked as a football coach for the high school, but was not employed as a teacher.
Hike was a teacher Liv- ingstone Academy, a school for children with disabilities. He was also an assistant foot- ball coach at Bloomingdale High School.
Detectives learned of the incidents through a previous investigation involving Hike, where other victims were asked to come forward.
According to detectives, on March 23, 2022, adminis- trators at Livingstone Acad- emy, 1204 Lenna Ave., in Seffner, contacted police after the grandmother of a ju- venile student reported Hike had inappropriately touched her grandchild, who was em- ployed as a teacher at the academy.
Detectives learned that Hike had shown several pornographic images to the victim and touched him inap- propriately on five occasions.
Hike was arrested on March 24, 2022, and charged with five counts of lewd or
MATTHEW HIKE
lascivious molestation and three counts of sell or distrib- ute obscene material to a minor. Hike bonded out on the same day.
On April 6, 2022, Hike was arrested again for the most recent allegations. He is now facing additional charges including three counts of lewd or lascivious molestation and one count of authority figure soliciting or engaging in lewd conduct with a student. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said, “Children should be able to trust their teachers and coaches. Individuals who break that trust and abuse their power must be rooted out and brought to justice.
“Our investigations re- vealed that this suspect broke the trust of his victims and our community on more than one occasion, and we will do everything in our power to make sure that he is held ac- countable for his despicable actions and can never target another juvenile.”
Detectives are encourag- ing anyone else who may have been a victim of Matthew Hike to come for- ward by calling the Hillsbor- ough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.
Of Sex Crimes With
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