Maxwell Guss, 34, of Bradenton, was arrested on Monday afternoon on two (2) counts of Lewd and Lascivious Conduct by a Person Over 18.  Guss has been on administrative leave from Brookside Middle School where he was a business teacher.  Detectives believe there may be additional victims.

On September 6, 2019, Sarasota Police Detectives responded to Brookside Middle School for a follow-up on a case of a teacher inappropriately touching two students.  Two students told Detectives their business teacher, Guss, inappropriately touched them in the beginning of September 2019.

On October 29, 2019, Sarasota Police Detectives responded to Sarasota High School to meet with an assistant principal for a follow up on a case of lewd and lascivious conduct in reference to the incident at Brookside Middle School. 

During the school year of 2017, when Guss was an Algebra 1 teacher at Sarasota High, a student told Detectives that Guss inappropriately touched her.  The student told school administration in 2017 but it was never reported to law enforcement by the school administration. 

Based on the investigation, Detectives believe there may be additional victims.  Guss was a teacher in Manatee County at Harllee Middle School and Bayshore High School and in Sarasota County at Sarasota High School and Brookside Middle School.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Detective Angela Cox at 941-263-6075 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS or online at www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com

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Maxwell Guss, 34