A Miami Southridge Senior High School teacher appeared in court prepared to plead guilty to charges stemming from allegations that he inappropriately touched one of his piano students.
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But the proposed plea deal fell apart after the alleged victim told the judge she did not believe the punishment was severe enough and said she was willing to take the case to trial, where she would testify in front of a jury.
Rudolph Infante was prepared to accept a deal offered by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office that called for five years of probation. Under the agreement, Infante would not have been required to register as a sex offender.
His defense attorney argued that the relationship between Infante and the student was emotional rather than sexual.
“This had nothing to do with sex,” said Theodre Mastos, a defense attorney representing Infante. “This was an emotional relationship that developed between a teacher and a student.”
Infante was arrested earlier this year after the 18-year-old student told police that he touched her arms and buttocks and kissed her on the chest. According to the arrest report, the student was too afraid to pull away.
During the court hearing, the victim directly addressed the proposed sentence.
“I don’t think five years’ probation is enough, and I’m willing to go to trial,” she said.
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The victim stood just feet away from Infante and told Judge Zachary James that she believed he should face a more severe punishment.
“I am not going to move forward with these terms,” Judge James said.
With the proposed plea deal rejected, the case is now headed toward trial.
Infante’s defense attorneys said they hope to negotiate another plea agreement that the victim would be comfortable accepting.
However, if Infante goes to trial and is convicted, he does not face prison time based on the current charges, which include one second-degree felony and four misdemeanors, according to the state attorneys.
At the time of the arrest, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, in a statement, said termination proceedings for Infante were underway.
“Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is disturbed by the allegations made against this individual. Upon learning about this suspected behavior, Miami-Dade Schools Police immediately began their investigation and subsequently made an arrest. This type of behavior will not be tolerated as it runs contrary to the professional conduct we expect from all employees. The District has initiated employment termination proceedings and will ensure the individual is precluded from seeking future employment with M-DCPS.”
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