Mr. Crews, a public school teacher, was convicted of multiple counts of sexual offenses
involving minors age 12 or older. Charges on some of the counts were based on a
longer statute of limitations period that applies to “misconduct in office” by a public
officer or employee, with the state alleging that since Mr. Crews was a teacher and the
victims were students, the crimes qualified as misconduct in office. Mr. Crews claimed
the statute does not apply to public school teachers and that the offenses were not
misconduct in office. The First District Court of Appeal disagreed but certified the legal
question as one of great public importance for this Court’s review.