School trying to figure out how felon got hired

Valencia Community College is trying to figure out how a felon got hired as a teacher.

In 2001 Victor Thomas was convicted of using a suburban to transport what he thought was counterfeit goods from Miami to Orlando. Even worse he threatened to kill the family of his partner in crime. His arrest was all over the news and he spent 6 years behind bars.

Since 2007 he’s been teaching at Valencia Community College. The professor told us no one from the school has contacted him to tell him where he stands and he was told not to talk on camera but what we know is that Thomas is on paid administrative leave through the end of the semester and his future at the school is unknown.

Some students think that is the way is should be, "Nobody knows. He could be selling drugs to the students."

Thomas taught a student success class, a class to help those students who are right on the edge of making it in school. Some say a criminal should not be teaching here while others say who better?

Some students told us it's fine because he's paid his debt to society, "If he is rehabilitated he should be okay to work here."

There are a lot of questions about why Valencia doesn't seem to know who can and can not work at the school. Someone at the school was aware of his record. On his application, in his own handwriting, it says what he was convicted of. On the paperwork he even put his federal case number on his application for administrators to see and sign off on but a background check done by the college showed no hits.

The college sent FOX 35 the following statement Tuesday: "Valencia will immediately begin examining our current hiring policies and procedures to determine why the external background check did not return any information on Mr. Thomas’ criminal history.”

Thomas taught years ago at the police academy at Valencia. He told FOX 35 Tuesday that he never hid what he did he says even his students knew he was a felon.