Former high school football coach accused of spanking, inappropriately touching teenage girls

A former Texas high school football coach has been arrested after several female students came forward to say that he had spanked them or otherwise touched them inappropriately.

Some time earlier this month, Lonnie Teagle, 39, was arrested after two girls came forward to say that he had spanked them and engaged in other acts of sexual harassment at Patricia E. Paetow High School in Katy, Texas, where Teagle coached until last month.

On October 11, the two unnamed girls, both 15, told school administrators that Teagle had begun harassing them on September 1, making inappropriate comments that then escalated to "inappropriate hugs." The girls alleged that when Teagle hugged them, his hands would move down to their buttocks. They also claimed that he asked them not to report the fondling.

Four days later, on September 5, the girls alleged that Teagle pulled them each on his lap at different moments. Both girls claimed that when they stood up again, they noticed that he had an erection in his pants.

At least one of the girls claimed that Teagle had been erect near her on several occasions. She also alleged that he once fondled her thighs and groped her genitals on the outside of her clothing.

Perhaps the most disturbing incident occurred a couple days later, the girls reported. They claimed that Teagle ushered them into an unfamiliar room in the school. While in that room, Teagle told them both that "he was going to spank them," court records state. He then supposedly bent them over his lap and spanked them each three times. At the time, Teagle also reportedly asked the girls whether they liked sex and whether they had a belly button ring.

The next day, the girls claimed he brought them food from Chipotle as a peace offering and then "formally apologized" on September 9. The molestations ended at that point, they stated.

According to reports, three other female students came forward the day after the two 15-year-old girls spoke with campus police about Teagle's alleged behavior. The three claimed that Teagle made inappropriate comments to them and touched them inappropriately, but they had hesitated to report him because of his "high status at the school."

"When my daughter came back home, she told me everything," one of the victim's mothers told reporters. "The school never called me. Never told me nothing."

Teagle resigned his position as head football coach some time in October for "personal reasons," a district letter claims.

In September, several district staff members filed a complaint against Teagle, accusing him of making "them feel uncomfortable on multiple occasions due to his inappropriate comments, touching and mannerisms." Students at a school in Denton, Texas, where Teagle coached last year, also filed complaints against Teagle in October 2021, claiming that he made comments about a girl's breasts and asked a group of female students to give him back rubs.

Following his arrest, the Katy Independent School District released the following statement:

"After several weeks of interagency investigations, the District has been informed by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office that it has accepted charges on former football coach, Lonnie Teagle. The District takes all potential safety concerns seriously. When made aware of any allegation concerning a staff member, the individual is immediately removed from their assignment(s), while District personnel work swiftly with law enforcement and other agencies to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure the safety and well-being of all students."

Teagle has been charged with felony indecency with a child and improper relations with a student, records indicate. He has been released on $30,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on February 28.