ARAB, Ala. — UPDATE (6/7): The former Arab High School head football coach, Lee Ozmint pleaded guilty on Monday to the charge of sending obscene material to a student.
Ozmint has received a 180-day jail sentence, with 150 days suspended. Upon release, he will serve two years of probation and pay a $5,000 fine.
(4/25): Arab High School's football coach was arrested Thursday, April 25, 2024 on misdemeanor charges. Lee Ozmint is accused of sending obscene images to a student at the school.
Superintendent Johnny C. Berry III, Ed.D. confirmed that Ozmint has since resigned, and that the school board accepted the resignation Friday morning.
Chief Shane Washburn with the Arab Police Department shared that Ozmint was charged with distributing or soliciting obscene material to or from a student under the age of 19. Ozmint is currently out on bond.
Arab City School district's statement, as posted on Thursday to their Facebook account, is as follows:
Earlier this week, Arab City Schools officials were made aware of unprofessional and inappropriate communications between an Arab High School teacher and student. As soon as the administration was made aware of the allegations, Arab City Schools officials contacted law enforcement and launched an internal investigation. 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. At this time, 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.
