Riggins Told To Stay Away

BROOKSVILLE - The Hernando High School track coach who resigned in early May amid allegations of touching and text messaging students inappropriately has been told to stay away from the school.

Hernando High officials confirmed that former paraprofessional and track coach Eric Riggins, 31, is now delivering packages for the delivery company DHL. But when he walked into the front office of the school with a package Friday, he was told not to return.

Riggins was suspended with pay last month after Hernando County School District officials launched an investigation. He resigned May 5, two days after officials recommended his termination.

With testimony from dozens of students and parents, he is accused of inappropriate contact that includes touching a student's "private parts," sending sexually suggestive text messages and making lewd remarks via phone and in person.

Riggins has denied all allegations, and no charges have been filed.

School board attorney Paul Carland said that since Riggins is no longer an employee at the school and has not been charged with any crime related to the school, the district is not responsible for his actions.

"That would be something for law enforcement to address," he said.

A school administrator confirmed that following the attempted delivery, Riggins was told by the school's school resource officer, Hernando County Sheriff's Deputy Bill Pope, not to make any future deliveries to the school, and to "share this with his boss."

Sgt. Jim Powers, spokesman for the sheriff's office, said deputies are currently completing a criminal investigation involving Riggins, due to be released by the end of the week.

He declined to comment when asked about rumors that two students had been given polygraph lie detector tests as part of the investigation.

Riggins' attorney, Laguerra Champagne of Tampa, said she could not confirm his current employment state and said she was not prepared to make any statements, due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.

"This is not an issue that needs to be tried in the media," she said. "It needs to continue and be completed."