SoWal High School Coach Arrested for Sex Abuse

[jodiFL]

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.

 

[fishhawk]

reply

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.

 

[jodiFL]

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.

 

[fishhawk]

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.

 

[jodiFL]

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.

 

[Why Lie about the TRuth]

reply

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.

 

[John G]

What church?

 

[ShallowsNole]

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

 

[Will B]

No...

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