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Kimberly Brabson
By VALERIE KALFRIN and ANTHONY McCARTNEY
The Tampa Tribune
and CHIP OSOWSKI
News Channel 8
TAMPA - A former Tampa Prep swim coach and teacher charged with secretly videotaping students as they undressed and tried on swimsuits will remain in jail without bond.
Judge Walter Heinrich set Kimberly Brabson’s hearing off for tomorrow because of a potential conflict.
“I do not independently know this man, not that I’m aware of,” Heinrich said this morning. “But I do think I need to bring it to everyone’s attention in case there’s a potential issue. I see that he’s a swim coach and my wife is also a swim coach at a competing school.”
Brabson III is being held without bond because police fear if he gets out of jail he will leave the state.
Two years after Tampa Preparatory School officials reprimanded Brabson for having a girl try on a swimsuit in his office, detectives arrested him for secretly videotaping several other try-on sessions.
Tampa police on Thursday charged Brabson with 10 counts of video voyeurism, charges that could lead to 10 years in prison.
A physical education teacher and assistant swim coach at the school for nearly five years, Brabson, 29, was fired Nov. 10 after administrators learned that he had asked several girls to change into swimsuits in his office, head of school D. Gordon MacLeod said Thursday.
Maj. George McNamara said Thursday police recovered a videotape from a school office Brabson shared with another faculty member.
The tape shows girls ages 11 to 15 undressing and trying on swimsuits. The video, which recorded the girls from the neck to the groin, shows some of the girls removed their underwear, McNamara said.
Investigators have identified 10 children but there are more victims, McNamara said. He asked any current and former students who have tried on swimsuits in that office to call detectives at (813) 276-3539.
“We’re not even close to being done with this,” McNamara said.
Brabson was held without bail at Orient Road Jail Thursday evening.
MacLeod said Brabson had been reprimanded one to two years ago, after a female student told administrators the coach had asked her to change into a swimsuit in his office.
Brabson told school administrators he asked the girl to model a swimsuit for his niece, MacLeod said.
He was allowed to continue teaching and coaching.
Administrators did not report the incident to police because they thought it was an isolated case, he said. “We just believed him at that time,” MacLeod said.
He said school officials ran a background check on Brabson before he was hired. He has no criminal history in Florida or Pennsylvania.
Brabson was at a swim meet in early November when two girls told a school psychologist that Brabson had asked them to try on swimsuits in his office, MacLeod said.
Days later, more girls told school officials they had been asked to model. By that point, Brabson had been suspended, MacLeod said.
The school seized his computer and searched his office but did not find any inappropriate images or peepholes, MacLeod said.
McNamara said the girls were unaware they were being taped. Brabson appears in the tapes, but he was not present while the girls were undressing, McNamara said.
The school planned to report Brabson’s actions but had not before detectives arrived, MacLeon said.
No one answered the door at Brabson’s home, 6306 Eaglebrook Ave., Thursday afternoon. A phone call to his attorney was not returned.
Brabson is married, and his wife is pregnant with their second child, McNamara said.
The earliest incident on tape appears to be from three years ago and the most recent from October, McNamara said.
MacLeod said Tampa Prep offered counseling for the students taped by Brabson.
McNamara said when detectives interviewed girls and their families, their sense of betrayal was apparent.
“They had faith and trust in this man,” McNamara said. “A lot of people are very shocked right now, very alarmed, very angry.”
Reporter Anthony McCartney can be reached at (813) 259-7616. Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800.
I currently attend Tampa Prep and I love the school. The teachers and he people are great. This was a very unfortunate thing to happen at our school. He seemed like a nice guy. Parents and students liked him. Some people may think this is a joke but for those of you who are laughing while you read about what happened you need to realize something. Tampa Prep was hurt that he betrayed us. He lied to us. Many girls were crying the day everyone found out. We were hurt and many of us didnt think he really did this. Girls trusted him and he took advantage of that. If you say something like “Oh I wish I had that tape” then how dare you. People need to realize that even at the best school stuff happens. I still feel like this is the safest school for me!
Its too bad we live in age that one bad apple spiols the bunch. I am sure that Tampa Prep has some really good teacher at the school. This one sick fool has brought on so much bad press for this school that up until this came out was considered on of the top schools in the county.
I have childern that if this happen to them I would be beside myself with anger but, we can’t hold the school at fault for what this one sick indvidual decides to do on his own free will. Give Tampa Prep a break they did their backround check on the man before they set him loose in the school.
Brabson might of been the best teacher I ever had, he taught me alot about myself and growing up.I was the quarterback and on one friday I was really nervous about our game that night, and Brabson calmned me down and providing words of wisdom that I whisper to myself to this day when I’m feeling stressed out. I’m really sorry to read this type of thing.
I had brabson for class and I thought the dude was sweet, and I was the champion of floor hockey. WHAT… praise be allah
I had Brabson for class for 2 years in Pennsylvania, and he was always a nice man to everyone and no one ever had a problem with him,he was very well liked by the students and people loved his classes. Everyone was sad that he left. I don’t think voyerism is nearly as bad as him actually touching the students, which alot more traumatizing…atleast he showed some sort of restraint.
I graduated from Tampa Prep and I was around Brabson many times. I can remember commenting with my friends that we found him to be “creepy” because his girlfriend at the time was very young and looked as though she could be in high school as well. However, I never would have imagined this situation. It’s truly sad and merits severe punishment. His behavior does not represent the rest of Tampa Prep. I can honestly say that I had wonderful and inspiring teachers and coaches at that institution.
Hey Moderator—- You don’t post my blog but you do post Joe Marks blog. It’s o.k. to joke about wanting a video of young girls undressing, but it’s not o.k. to want to break this perverts knees. What gives. Do you think Joe Marks remarks are funny? Is it funny to print remarks like that? We don’t need more reminders there are assholes like this around. We read about them everyday on this site. How about a little sensitivity towards the girls who were victimized and their families. Probably most of whom read the Tribune. You need to check your self.
I guess the person accusing me of not doing enough didn’t read my comments. My daughter said he was creepy but she didn’t tell me anything that was indicative of criminal behavior. I said that if she told me he was asking girls to try on swimsuits that would have sent up a red flag… We’re dealing with girls 11-14… who may not know to relay important details of a situation.
Tampa Police should make a visit to the guys house who commented he wanted a copy of the video and check out his collection… Maybe he can spend some time in jail with Brabson. It’s not a funny situation.
Dear Mr. Charlie Johnson,
That comment is uncalled for, this women is obviously in a state of shock that what her daughter was asked to do was not only in the office of an adult, but video taped. Sir with all do respect that was low and I believe you ought to apologize. It is easy to judge before it is you in the situation.
I concur with Bouton; Tampa Prep has some quality individuals on the payroll. I appreciate the education I received from Tampa Prep and hope this incident is not used to discredit the quality of education that Tampa Prep offers.
Joe you are as big a jerk as the swim coach. Are you a Tampa Prep student.
This guy needs to have his kneecaps broken. And, Tampa Prep better have good liability insurance. This is going to cost them a bundle.
Interesting comment by Francine so I quess you have to count yourself among those people you don’t like since your daughter apparently told you about it and you did nothing. I guess since yours wasn’t taped it was all right for everyone eles to be taped.
Regardless of this incident, Tampa Prep still has the greatest group of teachers and individuals you can find in a private school. Do not believe for a minute that this type of behavior is indicative of the professionalism and ethics of one of the finest prep schools in the nation.
It’s really unnerving to find out that a teacher whom many of my friends looked up to at a school that is supposed to be a cut above the rest is a sick pervert. I’m glad I withdrew from tampa prep and I will never again say that it is a school with some of the best teachers you can find because apparently i have been lying for the past three years.
With young girls being abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered or otherwise violated like in this situation it is shocking that anyone could joke around.
My daughter was on the swim team with this jerk. He asked her and her friends and team members to do this…..at least my daughter found the strength to say no, not like other girls she knows. She quit because she said he was so creepy and told other coaches she would not participate on the swim team because of him and I supported her 100%. Very unfortunately she only said he was a creep and never told me that he had asked girls to try on swimsuits in his office..that would have sent up a giant red flag for me and I would have immediately contacted the school.
To bad I couldnt get copies of the video, lol
Pervert
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Posted by Charlie Johnson, Florida on 01/14 at 01:41 PM
Well first let me say that I am not defending this coach, nor am I condoning what he is alledged to have done.
And as to the replies well perhaps you need to re-read your comments. Plainly you knew that your daughter was asked to try on a swim suit by the coach. Now you didn’t say when she told you that but I would wager that is was before all this came to light. That should have caused a couple of questions to be asked by you. But taking it a little farther, the swim suit thing aside, you say your daughter quit the swim team because the coach was creepy. Now that should have caused a lot of questions, which from your comments obvisouly wasn’t done and that had to be before this came to light.
Now as far as me needing to apologize, I don’t think so. You have someone standing up and throwing rocks when that person should have been asking questions and didn’t.