SoWal High School Coach Arrested for Sex Abuse

The question of why he was not fired long ago is the question of the day! Walton COunty protected this man and moved him from Freeport high school after complaints from students and put him into Butler elementary, after complaints he was moved to South Walton high School. It actually took going out of Walton County to the State Attorney's office for anything to be done. This is the second teacher I know of who has acted inappropriately with students in this school and a third was close to inappropriate. They have all been fired.

This is interesting to me. How did the principal respond to complaints? If not effectively, is someone attempting to hold the principal and/or others accountable as well?

This is interesting to me. How did the principal respond to complaints? If not effectively, is someone attempting to hold the principal and/or others accountable as well?

The county really wasnt effective either, instead of investigating into it further they just decided to change the school he worked at. -like that was gonna help! I believe, if somebody should go down with Cozzie it should be the school board or whoever is responsible for giving him two other chances to harass students at other schools.

The county really wasnt effective either, instead of investigating into it further they just decided to change the school he worked at. -like that was gonna help! I believe, if somebody should go down with Cozzie it should be the school board or whoever is responsible for giving him two other chances to harass students at other schools.

Are you saying that these allegations have gone on for years? Is the school change that you are referring to when he switched from Butler to Emerald Coast (which was actually a wing of the high school at the time)? I believe this was in 2003.

It doesn't happen to the other family, or the other children. It also happens to your children. Keep you eyes open and explain these statistics to your kids. It sucks that we have to scare our kids, but that's life in 2007.

Parents also need to be aware of abuse of younger children by older children. For example, allowing a young pre-teen daughter to spend the night at a friend's house where there is a teenaged brother. There are hundreds of scenarios.

In the rare cases when a child does come forward it is often hard to prove these things. Typically the abuser limits the contact to things that are borderline and also uses mental intimidation/trust issues to make the child unsure as to whether something wrong actually occurred. (Seriously, they're a child molester, do you really think they play fair?)

Schools & administrators have to walk a frustratingly fine line because they open themselves to legal action if they rush to act and a teacher's reputation is damaged. Some kids will use an accusation to get back at a teacher or staff member for a poor grade, perceived slight etc. making it even harder to convict/discipline those who do commit crimes.

I know it is too horrible to imagine, but odds are that your child or one of their friends has been abused, usually by a relative, family friend, or teacher/coach.

Are you saying that these allegations have gone on for years? Is the school change that you are referring to when he switched from Butler to Emerald Coast (which was actually a wing of the high school at the time)? I believe this was in 2003.

he started out at freeport. then got transfered to butler. then south walton.

Its sad that in order to get high ratings in the district they cover it all up.
They will be exposed very soon don't worry they all are going to get whats coming to them. as far as your daughter is concerned I would be very worried!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope that all that are involved in this discussion use the search feature and read all the ongoing threads about this man. I have been taken to task about things I have said and hope that you all read back on all the background to this...give me a moment and I will edit this post with links to ALL the threads about him

link#1..http://sowal.com/bb/showthread.php?t=12749&highlight=cozzie
well it seems that since the updates on SOWAL i cant seem to find all the threads about him...but I am sure that it is well known that my feelings for this person are in the open and I am not afraid to voice my opinion about him.

get a life

jodifl, you really need to get a life. this man was already brought to trial on the most serious charge and a jury found him not guilty of the felony charge within an hour of deliberations. they also had the opportunity to find him guilty of two lesser charges (misdemeanors) and found him not guilty. every single girl involved in this case was brought in to testify and couldn't sway the evidence. you obviously dislike this man and can't let him get on with his life. he pleaded no contest to the remaining charges to spare his family the expense of another year of trials and try to rebuild his own life, which has been smeared beyond recognition. look in the school yeabooks over the past three years and see how many pictures are in there of teachers hugging (and yes, kissing!) their students, or having other physical contact. coach cozzie was singled out because he was strict, he was a disciplinarian, and he didn't put up with a lot of crap other people would. the fact that he was a single man over 35 automatically made him suspicious in some people's eyes. hopefully someday all the testimony in his trail will be public record and ignorant people like yourself will see it for what it was. but in the meantime, keep up the b.s. and maybe someday he can slap you with a lawsuit

Fishhawk.....is there a reason that you feel the need to single me out of all the people that have posted on this thread? I did not start this thread and only posted a link to another one on the same subject. I did not make any personal attacks and feel that your trolling and attacking me only goes to show that YOU are indeed the one that needs to get a life.

Sorry, Jodi....don't mean to single you out. you just seem to be the person who persists in bringing this up. i knew coach for several years at SWHS and i know what he was like as a teacher and a coach. i also know there were a lot of students who liked him and a lot who didn't. the fact that people want to view him as some sort of sexual offender is troublesome. where was your outrage a couple of years ago when the female teacher who "allegedly" slept with student athletes quietly resigned and moved out of state? how come that was never in the NWFDN? coach cozzie has been branded for life because of rumors that people like yourself persist in rehashing or creating.

Didn't hear about the female teacher incident............how can one be outraged if we didn't know about it????

Sorry, Jodi....don't mean to single you out. you just seem to be the person who persists in bringing this up. i knew coach for several years at SWHS and i know what he was like as a teacher and a coach. i also know there were a lot of students who liked him and a lot who didn't. the fact that people want to view him as some sort of sexual offender is troublesome. where was your outrage a couple of years ago when the female teacher who "allegedly" slept with student athletes quietly resigned and moved out of state? how come that was never in the NWFDN? coach cozzie has been branded for life because of rumors that people like yourself persist in rehashing or creating.

That's the sort of comment that makes her feel attacked, dear...

This is such a double-edged sword. KDW posted a thread about the difference between school in 1957 and now, and one of the fictitious examples was a boy who skinned his knee and whose teacher hugged him. The teacher ended up in jail and the boy in therapy.

You're right that the standards and outrage should be the same for female teachers as for male teachers, though. Even as a female teacher these days, we have to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. If a student is alone in a room with me (for tutorial, etc.) I open all the doors and blinds and try to have a male teacher pop in and out.

Although I hate to see you lash out at people on the board, it is somehow refreshing to see your loyalty to this coach. I don't know if you were a student or what, but he obviously made a positive impression on you. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as an allegation in this business. An accusation is as lethal as a conviction--an acquittal means nothing. If he truly is innocent, I hope that he will manage to rebuild his life.

hopefully someday all the testimony in his trail will be public record and ignorant people like yourself will see it for what it was. but in the meantime, keep up the b.s. and maybe someday he can slap you with a lawsuit

I am sure some shyster could find a reason to bring suit, but in reality, you can't sue someone for commenting on info printed in newspaper articles and letting other folks in the community know your opinion and concerns about someone who pleads "no contest" to charges.

As I said before (and if you read my signature line) I am only stating MY opinions regarding this matter. I am glad that you have had a good relationship with this man but my dealings with him have not been pleasant and I am not afraid to say so. As far as the woman teacher, had I known anything about that she would have gotten the same attention that is being given to this matter.

the fact that people want to view him as some sort of sexual offender is troublesome.

The fact that he got himself into a position to be viewed that way is not my fault. I feel that any adult in the capacity/position/career that he held should be beyond reproach. But in my opinion, and it is ONLY MY OPINION, pleading "no contest" to charges such as these does NOT give the appearance of beyond reproach. It seems to me to be an easy out. If it was my life and reputation on the line, I would fight it with every fiber of my being and I am sure that my loved ones would be there with me every step of the way, supporting me in a cause that could ruin everything I had worked for.
As far as lawsuits go..... remarks like

ignorant people like yourself will see it for what it was. but in the meantime, keep up the b.s. and maybe someday he can slap you with a lawsuit

seem to be more litigious than anything I have ever said here.
Also you might want to check the facts being reported in the media. You say that all girls involved testified but it was stated in one publication that

Three of the 11 alleged victims chose not to testify. Consequently, three felony charges were dropped and three other felony charges were downgraded to misdemeanors.

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i suppose when we start depending on the media to provide facts and truth we should all be a little bit apprehensive. having seen the articles, the number of mistakes and half-truths regarding Cozzie's case are alarming.

i certainly agree that he should have fought each and every charge to the end. unfortunately i know that the justice system isn't always just, and it certainly is expensive. i don't know what kind of resources the average teacher would have to be able to spend over a year and a half fighting these charges in court. the end result for him was a couple of misdemeanor charges he was adjudicated guilty on, and the remaining 4 that will most probably be expunged upon completion of his probationary period.

fighting the charges wouldn't change anything. the people that know him know he didn't do anything that most teachers don't do every day at our school. the people that dislike him wouldn't believe he wasn't guilty no matter how many court trials he won....and he would always be the target for future complaints be every student with a grudge.

my biggest complaint has always been that this was portrayed as a "sexual" thing. no evidence ever proved that, and no one has shown otherwise. i'm sure Cozzie can accept that he has put his arm around a student's shoulder or a hand on their neck...both male and female, and yes, that would constitute battery in the strictest interpretation of the law...not sexual battery, but misdemeanor battery. when we start prosecuting every teacher that has done or still does this, then we will have a fair system.

my biggest complaint has always been that this was portrayed as a "sexual" thing.

law defines a lewd act on a child as any touching of the child done with the intent to gratify the lust, passions or sexual desires of either the suspect or a child. The touching can occur anywhere on the child's body; it does not have to be on a sexual organ. It is also considered lewd and lascivious behavior when the suspect has the child touch him (the suspect) for the purpose of achieving sexual gratification.

Well, when someone is arrested for L&L behavior it kinda goes hand and hand with being sexual in nature since that is the definition by law.

arrested on L&L charges.....found not guilty. if an arrest starts equating guilt, it shows how far the justice system has fallen. anyone can make an accusation, doesn't make it true. and unfortunately there are a lot of innocent people in prison and in jail. WCSO and the SA decide what charges to file. not exactly a repository of geniuses in either camp.

arrested on L&L charges.....found not guilty.

Yep...but you know what they say about the toothpaste being out of the tube... kinda hard to UNDO something like that. And it was alot of peoples first impression of the man, also a hard thing to overcome. It also doesnt take a genius to understand that if you dont wanted to be viewed in a certain light, that you should never get in a position for that light to be shined on you.

the remaining 4 that will most probably be expunged upon completion of his probationary period

Well, that sounds good in theory, but just ask anyone that has ever had "adjudication withheld" an ANY charges... it is NEVER really expunged. It will always be there for any judge or LEO to see.

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i suppose when we start depending on the media to provide facts and truth we should all be a little bit apprehensive. having seen the articles, the number of mistakes and half-truths regarding Cozzie's case are alarming.

i certainly agree that he should have fought each and every charge to the end. unfortunately i know that the justice system isn't always just, and it certainly is expensive. i don't know what kind of resources the average teacher would have to be able to spend over a year and a half fighting these charges in court. the end result for him was a couple of misdemeanor charges he was adjudicated guilty on, and the remaining 4 that will most probably be expunged upon completion of his probationary period.

fighting the charges wouldn't change anything. the people that know him know he didn't do anything that most teachers don't do every day at our school. the people that dislike him wouldn't believe he wasn't guilty no matter how many court trials he won....and he would always be the target for future complaints be every student with a grudge.

my biggest complaint has always been that this was portrayed as a "sexual" thing. no evidence ever proved that, and no one has shown otherwise. i'm sure Cozzie can accept that he has put his arm around a student's shoulder or a hand on their neck...both male and female, and yes, that would constitute battery in the strictest interpretation of the law...not sexual battery, but misdemeanor battery. when we start prosecuting every teacher that has done or still does this, then we will have a fair system.

I hope nothing ever happens to any of your family's children or your grand children. Because you will then be on the receiving end of hurt and betrail or has it already happend?
And you all are so blinded! At a church in Destin he was shielded and took cover while continued growth of his sick acts. While all along A pastor in leadership preyed on young boys. And tried to buy off families!Wow wake up people!! A certain coach Coverd her own child's molestation by supporting these sick men.

What church?

This topic is 7 years old. Are there specific new allegations?

No...

New user with one post. Obviously, trolling...