Music teacher arrested at Cooper City middle school

Larry Brewer faces charges of trespassing, threatening public servant

COOPER CITY, Fla. – Few details are being made public about the arrest of Larry Brewer, a music and chorus teacher at Pioneer Middle School in Cooper City.

Students said it was after third period Wednesday when the school was put in a “code yellow” – meaning they couldn’t leave class

Hours later, parents received an email, calling the lockdown a precaution while “school board police conducted some on campus business.”

Brewer, 63, of Hollywood, was booked into the Broward County’s Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale. He faces charges of trespassing and threatening a public servant.

“That guy is crazy. And I’m not just saying that because of what happened today,” said Josh Lombardo, the father of a Pioneer Middle School student.

Lombardo said he thought Brewer had a temper issue during a parent-teacher conference and was worried for his daughter.

 “Out of nowhere, this guy just literally snapped in the middle of the meeting,” Lombardo said.

Lombardo’s daughter, Lorelai, added, “I definitely didn’t feel safe around him.”

Cathleen Brennan, a spokesperson for Broward County Public Schools, says Brewer "has been reassigned away from the school pending the outcome of District and law enforcement investigations."

No report is available yet to detail what police say led up to the arrest that has a whole lot of people talking.

Brewer appeared in court Thursday, where he was ordered held in lieu of a $30,000 bond. If he posts bail, he will be outfitted with a GPS monitor. 


About the Author:

Janine Stanwood joined Local 10 News in February 2004 as an assignment editor. She is now a general assignment reporter. Before moving to South Florida from her Washington home, Janine was the senior legislative correspondent for a United States senator on Capitol Hill.