VIERA, Fla - A man accused of fondling a teen when he was principal of a now-defunct Palm Bay private school will spend nearly a year in jail under a plea agreement approved Thursday.

  • Former principal order to spend 364 day in jail
  • Samuel Vidal Jr accused of fondling 15-year-old student
  • Vidal was principal at the now defunct Restoration Christian School

Samuel Vidal Jr., 43, was booked into the Brevard County Jail on Thursday for the first day of his 364-day jail sentence.

He was given one-day credit for time he previously served in jail.

Vidal, former principal of the then Restoration Christian School, was arrested in February 2017.

He was accused of fondling a 15-year-old female student in April 2016. He originally pleaded not guilty.

Under Thursday’s agreement, Vidal changed his plea to no contest. He was adjudicated guilty on one count of lewd or lascivious molestation on victim between the age of 12 and 16 by a person older than 18.

The agreement, approved by Brevard-Seminole Circuit Court Judge Kelly K. McKibben, also labeled him a sex offender.

Vidal was also ordered to serve five years of probation following his release from jail.