OVERTON, Texas (KLTV) - An Overton coach has been accused of grabbing a 7th grade student by her ears, lifting her on her tiptoes, and “parading” her around while she was in “obvious pain.”
Zachariary Joseph Griffin-Guidry turned himself in to the Overton Police Department (OPD) after he learned of a warrant for his arrest.
The injury happened during the seventh grader’s basketball practice after she incorrectly ran a play, according to an OPD release.
Video footage from the school shows Griffin-Guidry “angrily” coming up to the girl before grabbing her right ear and forcing her head to her left shoulder, the release states. He then turned the student toward him, grabbed both ears and lifted her up onto her tiptoes for up to 15 seconds, the release states.
The girl is then forcefully “paraded several feet” by her ear “to the desired position the coach obviously wanted her to be in,” according to the release.
The student was crying in pain and could be seen wiping tears away about 45 times, the release states, as two other coaches, as well as other students, witnessed the incident.
Afterward, a coach who noticed she was still holding her ears in pain came over to check on her. The coaches who witnessed the event then reported the incident.
After watching the video, the Overton Police Department recieved a warrant for Griffin-Guidry’s arrest, after which he immediately turned himself in on Jan. 29 and was charged with injury to a child.
KLTV has reached out to Overton ISD concerning Griffin-Guidry’s employment status.