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Altamonte Springs man accused of having sex with foreign exchange student

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — A Seminole County man is accused of molesting one of four foreign-exchange students in his home.

Deputies said the allegations came about after a teenage foreign-exchange student told authorities her host father had sexual contact with her on two separate occasions.

Investigators said Ernest Alfred, 32, and his girlfriend are hosting the exchange students for four weeks this summer.

The students are supposed to be learning the English language, but a Swedish student told authorities that she and her host father had consensual sex in his car outside a dollar store near near their home July 21.

But the following say, she said Alfred forced her to perform a sex act on him at an Altamonte Springs home.

“There was a total of four foreign-exchange students in the home. We spoke to each and every one of them, and this one disclosed there was (something) inappropriate occurring in the home,” said Kim Cannaday of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said Alfred and his girlfriend, who have children of their own at the home, are hosting the children for four weeks.

Deputies said the exchange students will stay at the home for the time being with the girlfriend and children.

“He has been ordered not to have any contact with anybody living in that home or staying in the home at this point,” said Cannaday. “He is nt invited to go back to the home, so we will have no contact with anybody living in this home at this point.”

Cannaday said the case raises other concerns.

“What raises this to an even more serious level is that these students were placed in that home, and this suspect was placed in a position of care of authority of trust for these individuals,” she said.

The sheriff’s office has not said the name of the program.

Jeff Levkulich

Jeff Levkulich, WFTV.com

Jeff Levkulich joined the Eyewitness News team as a reporter in June 2015.