High school teacher, coach in Rock Hill charged with touching girl student, police say
A teacher and coach at a high school in the Rock Hill School District has been placed on administrative leave after being charged with touching a female student multiple times at school, according to police and court records.
Joe Edward Cook Jr., 43, was arrested May 26 on a charge of third-degree assault and battery against a 15-year-old female, according to a Rock Hill Police Department arrest warrant obtained by The Herald. The incident was caught on video and witnessed by others, police said.
According to the district’s website, Cook is a South Pointe High School physical education teacher and the school’s head wrestling coach.
Mychal Frost, the spokesperson for Rock Hill Schools, told The Herald in a statement that the district employee was placed on administrative leave as of April 22 — the day after the district learned of the alleged incident.
Multiple witnesses saw incident
Cook is accused of repeatedly touching the student on April 21 at the school campus on Neely Road, the arrest warrant states. Cook allegedly touched the victim multiple times on her upper legs without consent.
“Multiple witnesses saw the touching and it was also captured on camera,” the warrant states.
A Rock Hill police department school resource officer wrote an incident report about the allegations on April 28 after he was made aware of the allegations. The information then was passed along to the police detective division, which conducted a weeks-long investigation, said Rock Hill Police Lt. Michael Chavis.
“The criminal investigation division looked into the case and after an investigation the suspect was charged,” Chavis said.
In a written statement sent to The Herald, Rock Hill police said Cook is a staff member at the school. The arrest warrant states the incident took place on the South Pointe campus.
Cook was released on bond May 27 after an initial court appearance, Chavis said.
No other details about the incident have been released.
Cook, a Rock Hill High graduate, has been the South Pointe wrestling coach since 2005, according to the school’s website.
Third-degree assault and battery is a misdemeanor that carries a potential punishment of up to 30 days in jail and a fine, South Carolina law states. The charge is defined as, “A person commits the offense of assault and battery in the third degree if the person unlawfully injures another person, or offers or attempts to injure another person with the present ability to do so.”
This is a developing story.
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 4:58 PM.
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