COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A former Ridgeview Institute employee accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old patient will remain behind bars after a judge denied him bond Wednesday.
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During the bond hearing, Channel 2 Action News learned new details about Jalen Pugh’s background, including that he worked as a teacher and coach at Stone Mountain High School.
Pugh, 25, is accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl while she was receiving treatment at Ridgeview Institute. His attorney told the judge that Pugh worked at the mental health facility on weekends while also working as a school teacher.
“He’s a school teacher by occupation and he was working at Ridgeview moonlighting on the weekends. And he’s a coach at his school,” his attorney, Jacqueline Gibson, told the court.
Gibson said Pugh has since resigned from his position at Stone Mountain High School.
During Wednesday’s hearing, prosecutors also pointed to a 2025 arrest involving Pugh in Atmore, Alabama.
Prosecutor Lindsay Doss Raynor told the judge that Pugh was involved in planning or participating in a street-racing event involving students from two high schools.
“He was involved in some sort of planning of a street racing event between two separate high schools, and during the course of that street racing event, some sort of a fight broke out. There were shots fired, and a high school student was murdered,” Raynor said.
Pugh is not accused of killing the student.
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Prosecutors said Pugh was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor for his alleged involvement in arranging or participating in the street racing.
Pugh’s attorney disputed during the hearing that he currently has a criminal charge pending in Alabama. But the judge said the criminal history presented to the court showed a July 1, 2025, arrest in Atmore and indicated that the case remained open.
The prosecutor questioned how Pugh was able to obtain a teaching position while that case was pending.
“I don’t know how you get employed as a teacher after having a pending criminal charge in Alabama,” Raynor told the judge.
Channel 2 Action News has reached out to DeKalb County Schools seeking information about Pugh’s employment at Stone Mountain High School, including how long he worked there, what he taught and when he resigned.
We have also asked whether the district knew about Pugh’s Alabama case and, if not, how it was handled during the district’s hiring and background-check process.
The Cobb County investigation into the allegations involving the 15-year-old girl also remains active.
Prosecutors described the teenager as particularly vulnerable and said she was receiving treatment at Ridgeview when Pugh was entrusted with her care.
Detectives are now interviewing potential witnesses and possible additional victims, according to prosecutors.
“We are not at a place yet where I can firmly say this is an isolated incident,” Raynor told the judge.
Pugh’s attorney argued that he should be released on bond, pointing to his family ties, professional background and character references. She also argued that he does not have a history of violence and would not pose a flight risk or a threat to the community.
The judge denied Pugh’s request for bond, meaning he will remain in jail as the case moves forward.
Channel 2 Action News is continuing to seek answers from DeKalb County Schools and authorities in Alabama.
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