Metro Atlanta teacher accused of sending obscene material to 14-year-old student

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A middle school physical education teacher from Hall County was arrested Thursday night after authorities said he sent inappropriate messages to a student, police say.

William David Bagwell, a 33-year-old teacher at West Hall Middle School, was charged with electronically furnishing obscene material to a minor, Hall County Schools said Friday in a news release.

Channel 2's Tom Regan was in Hall County, where Bagwell turned himself in Thursday night.

Regan learned that officials immediately put Bagwell on suspension when they learned the allegations against him. He's been with the school system since 2014.

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The district was made aware of the allegations Thursday morning after the 14-year-old student’s parent told a school resource officer the girl received inappropriate messages from the gym teacher, authorities said.

Regan talked to Derreck Booth, with the Hall County Sheriff's Office, who said Bagwell sent a nude picture to the girl.

"He had at some point electronically sent a photo of his genitals to the student with that transmission made through social media," Booth said. "There was not a relationship between the two. This was not that sort of thing. This was him sending a photograph."

College student Stephanie Schroeder said the allegations against Bagwell is deeply disturbing.

"I mean, it's terrible. No man should ever have those thoughts about a 14-year-old," Schroeder said. "For him to actually do that, he needs to be behind bars."

Booth said it's vital that cases like this are thoroughly investigated.

"It's difficult for law enforcement, because you're dealing with the possibility of someone's career being ruined, and you're dealing with the possibility of a student being victimized in some way," Booth said.

Bagwell has no prior record with the Hall County Sheriff's Office. He's still in jail awaiting his first court appearance.