He was a P.E. teacher and a softball coach, but now Shawn Derby Simon, 39, faces charges after allegedly giving a teenage girl alcohol and then getting behind the wheel.
"He was a really good employee and had a good record with us," said Kevin Christian, spokesperson for Marion County Public Schools.
Despite the good reputation, authorities say over the weekend Simon had been drinking and allegedly gave a teenage girl beer while they were hanging out on his front porch. The teenage girl's name cannot be released because she is a minor.
At first, Marion County Sheriff's deputies were looking into the case after the teen's parents said she was missing. The father later spotted Simon's car and followed it into the parking lot of a Wal-mart located on East Silver Springs Blvd. and called dispatchers. When deputies arrived, Simon took off leaving the teen behind.
Deputies caught up with the former coach at a nearby gas station where they found a cooler of beer and half-full cans of the alcohol in his car. Simon was charged with a D.U.I. and later charged with child abuse, interfering with child custody, and giving alcoholic beverages to a person under 21.
According to reports, the teenager's mother told deputies that Simon had text-messaged her daughter 300 times over a single weekend two months ago. But at this time, there is no indication from authorities of a sexual relationship between Simon and the teen.
Simon resigned from his job at Ft. McCoy School Tuesday.