CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Former Mathis ISD Athletic Director Roger Masters will not face criminal charges for inappropriate messages he was accused of sending to a former student, according to the Mathis Police Department.
In a release sent out Thursday by the police department, detectives said they determined that Masters’ communications with the student -- who he knew from a previous year -- were 'disturbing, unprofessional, and inappropriate,' but they were not sexually explicit, and there was no evidence to support criminal wrongdoing.
Investigators said they concluded the independent investigation into the former head football coach after he was fired by the school board in a unanimous vote during a special called meeting in April.
The police department did say that it believes teachers should not communicate with children in the absence of their parents after school hours in any capacity or anytime via social media, but that in itself is not yet criminalized by Texas law.
The release also said that Texas laws require certain elements of certain offenses to be established and, in this situation, elements of any of the potential offenses examined could not be established.
Mathis Independent School District Superintendent Tim Norman was also placed on administrative leave with pay in April, according to a news release posted to the district's website. A letter explaining the board's decision states that Norman hadn't previously shared the documents with the board. He did eventually provide documents regarding the inappropriate communication on April 16.
Norman remains on paid administrative leave.
If there are any other allegations made against Roger Masters or any other person in a position of trust, the department urges any potential victims to come forward.
