DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A Douglas County high school teacher and track and field coach has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a student at the school, according to the sheriff's office.
Kerry Hood, 47, was taken into custody after he turned himself in at the Douglas County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday after probable cause was established for his arrest.
11Alive spoke to another coach at the high school and a close friend of Hood who declined to go on camera, but they couldn't find the right words to say after learning the news. His friend said he hoped the allegations aren't true. But a former student said that while shocking, they weren't surprised when they learned it was him.
"It hurts me. Nobody should ever have to go through this. I was shocked. I was like, wow, because I knew how close he was with a lot of those track students," Ryan Samples, a recent graduate of the school, said.
He graduated May 23rd, four days before the sheriff's office says a student came forward.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said they were made aware Monday of possible sexual misconduct at Lithia Springs High School. The victim told deputies the assault happened while they were a student at the school.
"Everybody needs to know if there's more victims or what not, especially if nobody has came forward, because this could have been going on for a really long time. There's just an unknowing amount of people that could have experienced this, and they need to help too, and they need to justice for them as well," Samples said.
Samples said Hood was always close with the track students on the team and they were constantly coming in and out of his classroom.
"These incidents allegedly took place on school grounds and in other locations, including other states. This is an incident where a person in a supervisory capacity has taken advantage of a student under their charge," the sheriff's office said in a release.
11Alive is working to learn about any other alleged incidents involving the suspect.
