Scott Swantic
The 42-year-old was working as a football coach at Coosa High School when he found himself arrested, charged with a conspiracy to possess narcotics and placed on administrative leave.
“It was a horrible two-year period,” he said. “I have gone through a lot. I lost my job, my teaching certificate, my son.”
According to Floyd County Jail records, Swantic was accused of setting up a deal to purchase hydrocodone pills from two Coosa High students.
Brittany Nicole Cook, 20, of Rome was also arrested and charged with felony distribution of narcotics at a school and felony transactions in drug-related use of a communications facility.
After a three-day trial in Floyd County Superior Court, Swantic was found not guilty in a directed verdict issued by
Judge Jack Niedrach on Wednesday. On Thursday, Cook was cleared of all three charges against her.
“I feel like justice was served,” Cook said.
Cook is now a nursing student at Georgia Highlands College. She said she wants to continue on track to become an anesthesiologist and wants to put the past two years behind her.
Swantic said the ruling restored his belief in the judicial system.
He has already regained custody of his teenage son and hopes to regain his teaching certificate.
He said the accusations against him stemmed from claims made by a student who was arrested and charged with possession of narcotics.
The student told authorities that he got the pills from another student and was giving them to Swantic.
“As a teacher you put yourself in this position every day,” Swantic said.
Now, Swantic simply wants to get back to teaching.
“Where do I go from here to get back my reputation? I wasn’t guilty, and I want to teach again,” he said. “I don’t know where I would be if it hadn’t been for my friends and family who stood by me,” he said.
I want to thank Wright Gammon, the Cedartown "Bulldog" attorney who presented a masterful defense at trial. Mr. Gammon demonstrated that his interest is in justice, not just winning, when he returned to the courtroom after my son's acquittal to sit in support of Ms. Cook.
I want to thank Judge John E. Neidrach for a fair trial. I want to thank unbiased jurors for their service. I want to thank the Floyd County Court House employees for their courtesy throughout the trial. The Assistant District attorney worked hard for the prosecution which is a part of our adversarial justice system. I want to thank the coaching fraternity and our friends for their support. I especially want to thank Ms. Cook and her family for standing strong for justice.
The story that best represents some of the hardships happened on the way home from the trial. My son called his little daughter to tell her the good news. She asked, "Daddy did you pass your court?" He replied, "I got an A!" She then asked, "Does then mean you can now get a job and buy us a snack when we are with you?" He broke down and cried. He has not had a job, or been able to get one, in two years and has depended on his Mother and me for his every need including food, shelter, and child support. We are so thankful that we could spend most of our life savings supporting him and providing for his legal defense.
I want to spend this morning enjoying his opportunity to go on with his life instead of focusing on those adults who perhaps had impure motives in this ordeal. There is a cautionary tale here for teachers and students.
My hope is that all involved with this will use this to live a better life, help others.
Sincerely,
Gene Swantic
Read more: RN-T.com - Former Coosa High School coach acquitted of drug charges