Long Island special ed teacher and lacrosse coach is arrested 'for raping female student, 15'

A Long Island special ed teacher and lacrosse coach has been arrested over claims he raped a 15 year-old student off-campus, and molested her while she was at school.

Timothy Harrison, 46, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly having sex with the 15-year-old girl, while working at Babylon High School, according to Suffolk County Police. 

The arrest came about after a woman came forward in November to report she had a sexual relationship with Harrison during the fall of 2013 – when she was 15 and he was 38.

‘Today’s announcement of the arrest of a Babylon school teacher for rape is disturbing,’ Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison (no relation) said during a press conference.

‘The rape occurred off school grounds, however, the victim indicated there was inappropriate physical contact while at the school,’ he added.

Timothy Harrison, 46, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly having sex with the 15-year-old girl, while working in the Babylon School District since 2013

Harrison is pictured in shackles after his arrest on suspicion of child rape 

An investigation into Harrison, who has worked at Babylon High since 2013, was initiated last year after the department was alerted to a possible sexual relationship, the New York Post reported. 

On Thursday morning, Harrison was arrested during a traffic stop and booked on two counts of rape in the third degree and one count of a criminal sex act.

He was being held in Suffolk County’s First Precinct on Thursday night and was scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Friday.

Meanwhile, the school’s superintendent, Linda Rozzi, called the allegations against Harrison ‘disturbing.’

‘These allegations are extremely disturbing, and our thoughts are with the victim,’ Rozzi said Thursday. 

‘The district and board of education have zero tolerance towards such heinous acts and take all claims of this nature very seriously. We will continue to make the safety and well-being of our students and staff our top priority.’

Commissioner Harrison commended the victim, who was not named due to her age and the nature of the crime, for her bravery in stepping forward to speak out against Harrison.

Harrison is bundled into a van after being arrested during a traffic stop on Thursday

Harrison is said to have struck while working at Babylon High School, pictured, which the victim attended 

However, Harrison’s arrest may be the tip of the iceberg, as one alumni from the school district revealed to Patch.com.

Upon learning of Harrison’s arrest, alum Barbara Maier said there were more predators within the district whom police needed to investigate.

‘At one point, they said, “This is the only criminal that we’ve stumbled across,”‘ Maier told the outlet.

‘Which isn’t true, because every single one of us was a victim of a crime.’