FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Another teen took the stand on Monday and described to jurors an incident in which he said a former coach and middle school janitor molested him when he was a student at Coral Springs Middle School.
The alleged victim, now 17, testified that Robert Grant, 29, put his hands down the boy’s pants in an October 2017 encounter and began “stroking” his penis.
Grant was arrested that same month on 10 counts of lewd and lascivious molestation and one count of sexual battery by a custodial adult on one victim. Pretrial transcripts indicate there could be as many as five or six total victims who could testify.
In addition to the 17-year-old victim, a Coral Springs detective also testified on Monday.
He told the jury that Grant has not admitted to the accusations despite law enforcement's efforts to get a confession through a controlled phone call as well as a three-hour interview.
The detective also told jurors that there was no evidence taken from any victim’s body.
The defense continues to build its case around the notion that there is no actual evidence, only allegations, while also hoping to discredit the main victim in the case.
"I think you're going to find that the victim in this case is a troubled young man," defense attorney James Lewis said during the case’s opening remarks. "That he had some issues — in terms of, believe it or not, that Robert was spending too much time with other kids and that he wasn't maybe getting the attention that he thought he should have gotten from Robert."
Prosecutors are accusing Grant of using his position to earn the trust of families and then abusing that power by molesting those he was entrusted to mentor and coach.
The trial is expected to continue on Tuesday morning.