FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. – A high school coach and teacher was arrested on charges of sexual misconduct with 11 former students.
The Walton County Sheriff's Office charged Mark Cozzie with seven felony counts of lewd or lascivious conduct, one felony count of lewd or lascivious molestation and three misdemeanor counts of battery, the Northwest Florida Daily News reported.
Cozzie, 38, was arrested Wednesday and released on $50,000 bond.
According to arrest reports, his alleged victims ranged from 9 to 18 years old. They said Cozzie inappropriately touched them between 2002 and 2007 at South Walton High and Butler Elementary School.
Cozzie coached high school boys basketball and boys and girls track and field. He transferred from Butler to South Walton in 2002.
The sheriff's office began investigating Cozzie in late March after the state Department of Children and Families reported inappropriate conduct by a teacher involving a student, said sheriff's spokesman Lt. Bryan Maule.
The school board suspended Cozzie on April 3 without pay. The Florida Department of Education is also reviewing the allegations.
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