South Florida wrestling coach posts bond after being accused of soliciting sex from boy

Dustin Garvin, 32, employed at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A South Florida high school wrestling coach posted bond Wednesday, a day after he was arrested on accusations that he solicited sex from a minor.

Dustin Garvin, 32, faces a charge of using a computer to solicit sex with a child.

His bond was set at $35,000. 

Garvin works as an assistant athletic director and assistant wrestling coach at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs.

"He's pretty popular in the school, you know. A lot of people talk to him. And, like, it's just shocking," student Matthew Vaughn said.

According to the arrest report, an undercover agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement replied Aug. 30 to a Craigslist ad by a user named "Dirty Dusty." The ad sought young men for sex, the report said. 

In the online exchanges, the agent posed as the father of a 13-year-old boy and said he would allow Garvin to have oral sex with his son while the he watched, the report said. Garvin asked the agent several times whether he was a police officer, but the agent assured Garvin it was not a sting, the report said.

The two parties exchanged pictures and arranged to meet at a Starbucks later that week after 5 p.m., the report said. Garvin told the agent that he worked at a school and did not want to meet near Coral Springs, the report said. 

Dustin Garvin is a wrestling coach at J.P. Taravella High School in Coral Springs.

Eventually, Garvin asked the agent if he could contact the boy via email, the report said. An undercover FBI agent then posed as the boy and answered Garvin's emails, the report said.

After his arrest, Garvin admitted he had corresponded with the FDLE agent and the FBI agent, police said.

"I never would've expected it. I mean, we wrestled together," student Steven Munsie said.

Munsie said he used to practice with the wrestling team and was shocked by Garvin's arrest.

"He seemed fine," Munsie said. "He was passionate about wrestling. He's an excellent teacher."

Garvin's father appeared in court Wednesday, but declined to comment to reporters about the accusations against his son. However, Donald Garvin said his son has never been in trouble before. 

Dustin Garvin is expected to be released soon with a GPS ankle monitor. 


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.

Trent Kelly is an award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the Local 10 News team in June 2018. Trent is no stranger to Florida. Born in Tampa, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors from the UF College of Journalism and Communications.