21-05-2025
Sexual battery charge dropped against former Broward schools employee
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office has dropped a sexual battery of a minor charge against a former Broward County Public Schools employee who was arrested in March.
Justice Joseph, 27, worked as a security monitor at West Broward High in Pembroke Pines and was arrested on the school's campus on a warrant for an alleged sexual battery that occurred in Miami, Pembroke Pines Police and Miami Police said at the time of his arrest.
Joseph's attorney Yehuda Bruck told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Wednesday evening that his client was truly innocent and that the alleged sexual assault, reported by a man who said he 17 at the time and is now 18 years old, never happened.
'What he said about the actual night just turned out to be not true,' Bruck said.
Joseph had proof that the the complaining witness in the case 'was lying about a bunch of things' and shared it with the prosecutor's office, his attorney said. The alleged victim in the case also 'had changed his story multiple times.'
'This allegation only came up after some disagreement about business among other things … It just didn't appear that he was telling the truth, so their responsibility was to let the case go,' the attorney said.
Spokespersons for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office did not respond to an email sent after business hours Thursday seeking further information on its investigation and the disposition of the case.
The case was closed within the last week.
Broward County Public Schools spokespersons did not respond to an email sent after business hours seeking information about Joseph's employment status.
'My client worked for the school department also. He is around children, so this allegation was that much more hurtful and that much more damaging to his life,' Bruck said.
