Arab High School football coach Lee Ozmint was arrested last Thursday and charged with sending obscene photos to a male student.
A post on the Arab City Schools Facebook account mentioned that school officials had been made aware of possible unprofessional and inappropriate communications between a teacher and student earlier in the week. However, the school did not initially release the teacher's name.
"Earlier this week, Arab City Schools officials were made aware of unprofessional and inappropriate communications between an Arab High School teacher and student," the post read.
"As soon as the administration was made aware of the allegations, Arab City Schools officials contacted law enforcement and launched an internal investigation," the post continued. "As part of this internal investigation, the teacher in question was placed on administrative leave and not allowed to be on any Arab City Schools' campus. This situation evolved rapidly. The investigating officials interviewed both the teacher and student and investigated other relevant information as it arose during the process. Currently, the teacher remains on administrative leave and is not allowed on any campus. Once the team completes its investigation, they will work with the Superintendent to determine the best course of action for resolving the situation, including any applicable disciplinary action for the teacher."
"To ensure that it protects the rights of all involved, Arab City Schools will not be sharing any additional information at this time - including the names of the teacher or student involved. Arab City Schools does not condone any unprofessional or inappropriate behavior between faculty and students. Most importantly, the Superintendent and all members of the Arab City Schools team emphasize that the safety and security of our students is our highest priority, and the team will take no action that would jeopardize that safety," the post added.
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Arab City Schools superintendent Johnny C. Berry told WAAY that the Board of Education held a special meeting Friday to accept Lee Ozmint's resignation.
Arab Police Chief Shane Washburn said he was shocked like most of the community and that once his department was notified, they began an investigation immediately into the allegations.
Following the initial investigation, Ozmint was charged with being a school employee and distributing and/or soliciting obscene material to a student under the age of 19. The charge is a Class-A misdemeanor, and his bond was set at $500.
Washburn said the investigation will continue, but as of now, since there is no evidence of physical contact, the charge has not been upgraded to a felony.
A mother of two students, who wished to remain anonymous, told WAAY that her sons are on the Arab football team and Ozmint was their physical education teacher before his resignation. She said that hearing the news made her feel betrayed and manipulated by someone she thought she could trust.
“I gave this man my boys willingly. He's laughed with them, laughed with us. He's driven them home alone,” the Arab High School mother said. “I've watched their hearts sink many times in the last two days, and I don't foresee a change in that. We're hurt here.”
Ozmint had been at Arab since 2019 and had previously coached at Glencoe High School.
He is a former University of Alabama football player, and he played for the Tide under oach Ray Perkins. Ozmint graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law and is currently an active member of the Alabama State Bar. However, he had not practiced since 2001, when he started coaching.
No records have been filed in the case for when Ozmint will appear before the court. He bonded out shortly after being arrested last Thursday.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email Bradley.cox@1819news.com or on Twitter @BradleyCoxAL.
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