Editor’s note: The following report contains explicit descriptions of sexual acts against children.
Two child enticement charges against Jody Wayne Britt were retired this month after new evidence prompted an Oktibbeha County grand jury to indict the former Starkville Academy coach on two counts of luring a child to engage in sexually explicit communications via computer and one count of child exploitation.
Starkville police arrested Britt, 31, of Madison, last year. Affidavits from the arrest allege Britt requested two girls “show him (their) ‘boobies’ several times and asked (them) to go to the restroom and take pictures” of themselves.
The affidavits went on to allege Britt alluded to them performing oral sex on him.
In January, a grand jury indicted Britt on two counts of enticing minors “to meet with him for the purpose of engaging in sexually explicit conduct,” but those charges were dropped Aug. 4 after a grand jury indicted him in July on the new charges.
District Attorney Scott Colom said the second round of indictments was brought forward after new information was presented to investigators.
Britt pleaded not guilty and posted a $70,000 appearance bond the day the initial indictment was dropped.
He is due in court on Oct. 17.
State statute sets a three-year maximum sentence in jail and $10,000-maximum fine for computer luring convictions and a $50,000-$500,000 fine and 5-40-year sentence for child exploitation.
At the time of his arrest, Britt was a first-year employee of the Madison County School District, where he taught science and history at Olde Towne Middle School and coached on Ridgeland High School’s baseball team.
Britt was placed on administrative leave by MCSD at the time of his arrest. A district spokesperson confirmed Wednesday he is no longer an employee of the district.
Starkville Academy representatives did not return calls and messages Thursday seeking Britt’s employment dates with the district. The complaints were made after Britt was no longer employed there.
Britt’s attorney C. Martin Haug declined to comment on the ongoing case Wednesday.
Statements: Britt ‘crossed every line’
Outlined in impact statements for the initial indictment, both victims confirmed Britt was their teacher at SA.
Communication began in a seemingly innocent way, the first victim’s statement says, until the former coach “crossed every line there is.”
“He begged (for pictures) for two days after I said ‘No’ over and over again. His class was the one I felt most comfortable in; and then he told me every day I was in there he stared at my legs and wished he would’ve asked me to come by and show him everything on me,” one victim wrote. “When I asked him if he understood that what he was saying and asking of me was wrong, his response was that no one, and he included his wife, would ever know, and that was fun for him.”
The second victim’s impact statement also alleged Britt “talked about her long legs and smile” and pushed forward the sexual nature of the conversation.
Britt, the statement alleges, made lewd and inappropriate gestures on social media.
“He brought up me doing things to his private areas that made me sick and uncomfortable. He talked about stretching some of his female players’ groins out after practice, telling me he could do the same to me and maybe slipping his finger into areas that are private,” the second victim alleged in her impact statement. “We never sent him videos when he asked, nor did we say anything to encourage him. We asked him countless times to stop, but he continued to harass us until he got scared and stopped. By then, it was too late.”
SA administrators notified police officers of the situation, according to the second victim’s statement, after the school’s guidance counselor and headmaster asked to see at least one of the victims’ cellphones.
The first victim began taking anxiety medicine, court documents state, because she “couldn’t pay attention in school or sleep at night” and she didn’t want to stay at home alone because she “was scared that he would want to kill (her) once he found out we went to the police.”
The second victim “occasionally (has) random nightmares where he is in them,” her statement reads.
“… I trusted Coach Britt and thought he was a friend. Now I know he is just a disgusting man that is very sick. He has no business being around kids,” the second victim wrote in her statement. “He needs to pay for what he is doing to students.”
In almost all cases, The Dispatch does not print the names of minors or the names of victims involved in sex crimes.
Charges, indictments and court documents do not reflect a person’s innocence or guilt.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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