SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Newly obtained video shows the moment deputies with the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office arrested a teacher on sex and drug charges.
Mackenzie McLean, 49, was taken into custody in February, the day after one of her former students at Crooms Academy told deputies she had “groomed him by buying him and other students alcohol, weed, and other substances.”
News 6 has been following this story since McLean was taken into custody and placed on leave.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office released body camera video of her arrest to News 6 through a public records request. It shows deputies at her home in Lake Mary on February 17th where she was arrested on a warrant for two counts of sex offense by an authority figure and one count of distribution of a controlled substance.
As deputies surround McLean in the driveway, she can be heard saying, “No, no. Wait, wait, wait! Stop, stop, stop, stop! Please!” in a panicked voice.
The deputies remain calm as one of them tells McLean, “Just talk to us.”
The video shows McLean expressing her concern about her dog possibly escaping and her belongings being left outside. As the deputies ask her if anyone will be able to check on her pet, McLean says, “I didn’t do anything!”
She echoes that statement again as the handcuffs are placed around her wrists.
[BELOW: Bodycam video shows arrest of Crooms Academy teacher]
Online court records show McLean has pleaded not guilty.
An arrest affidavit for McLean states the 49-year-old was living with and engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a teen when he was her student in 2024.
The former student, who is now 19 years old, told deputies that McLean started making sexual advances toward him at her home one night within days of him moving in. According to the affidavit, the teen said McLean provided him with “approximately twelve shots of gin” which caused him to become severely intoxicated. He also said that he pushed her off and told her it was wrong, the documents say.
A friend of the teen also gave a statement to detectives about what she witnessed. She described McLean’s home as a “hangout for high school kids who were provided with alcohol and THC edibles,” the affidavit states.
McLean’s affidavit also includes screenshots of text messages that investigators believe were sent by McLean. During the conversation, McLean reportedly admitted that she had a sexual relationship with the victim and knew it was wrong, according to the affidavit.
The messages include statements such as “I intentionally never initiated anything because I didn’t want to make him feel any kind of way,” and “I told myself each time that it wouldn’t happen again and I would say no. But then I let it happen again.”
McLean is being held at the Seminole County Jail on a $35,000 bond. An arraignment hearing is scheduled for March 31.
After McLean’s arrest, a spokesperson for SCPS told News 6 that she was placed on administrative leave as soon as the district was notified.
“Any allegations of misconduct by our staff will be taken seriously and handled quickly. The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority, and any type of behavior that jeopardizes that safety will not be tolerated in Seminole County Public Schools,” the district said in a statement.