Arab football coach Ozmint resigns following arrest on obscene material charges

ARAB – Head football coach, athletic director and faculty member Lee Ozmint submitted his resignation to Arab City Schools on Friday following his arrest a day earlier on a Class A misdemeanor charge of distributing or soliciting obscene material to or from a student under the age of 19.

Arab Police released information regarding the arrest of the now-former Arab High School football coach. 

According to reports, Arab City School officials alerted police to a possible incident between a faculty member and a student. Police say they arrested Ozmint on Thursday after an investigation. 

School officials accepted Ozmint’s resignation Friday morning.

Investigators say Ozmint sent obscene photos to the student. They also said they’re still investigating if the student sent any to the teacher. Investigators believe the victim is a current student and was not involved with the football program.

Ozmint was released on a $500 bond Thursday. Police say since the charge is a misdemeanor, the bond amount is automatic and not set by them.

The Arab Tribune reports that assistant football coach and head wrestling coach Kyle Routon has been named acting head football coach at Arab.

Arab City Schools released the following statement after the arrest:

“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.”