School employee accused of sex crimes against 2 students in Miami-Dade

MIAMI – A 37-year-old man appeared in court on Tuesday morning accused of committing sex crimes against two 16-year-old students while working for a school in Miami-Dade County.

Records show corrections had been holding Yuniesky Ramirez, who is 6-foot, 5-inches tall and weighs about 220 pounds, since 9:35 p.m., on Monday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center when he appeared before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Judith Rubenstein wearing an orange jumpsuit.

Ramirez, who officers arrested Monday in North Miami, was working at the Downtown Doral Charter Upper School when the crimes happened earlier this month, according to an arrest warrant signed by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Andrea R. Wolfson and Doral Detective Trevor Roberts, who attended the hearing Tuesday.

Yuniesky Ramirez, center, appears before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Judith Rubenstein on Tuesday in Miami-Dade County. (Copyright 2022 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

Jeannette Acevedo-Isenberg, of the Downtown Doral Charter Schools, released a statement on Tuesday afternoon reporting Ramirez was a part-time security monitor and athletic coach.

One of the students reported Ramirez told her and her partner on Valentine’s Day that he was going to use his security access card to allow them some privacy, according to the warrant. Surveillance video shows Ramirez used his phone to record the students while they engaged in a sexual act in the TV production room of the school at 7905 NW 53 St., according to police.

The students told detectives that Ramirez then fist-bumped one of them and told them both that they were too young to fall in love, but the abuse didn’t end there, according to the warrant. Ramirez used the video and threats to sexually harass one of the students until she reported him to the school principal, and the principal reported him to the police, according to the warrant.

Police officers arrested Yuniesky Ramirez on Monday in Miami-Dade County. (Copyright 2022 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.)

Acevedo-Isenberg, the head of the charter school, also reported Ramirez was terminated from the school and he had not been at the school’s grounds since the initial report.

Ramirez is facing charges of offenses against students by an authority figure, two counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child, and soliciting to engage in a sexual act with a familial child. Rubenstein set his bond at $40,000 and ordered him to stay away from the school, have no contact with the victims, and not have unsupervised contact with minors.

Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.

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The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.