Georgia teacher, baseball coach fired after child pornography arrest

LAGRANGE, Ga. — A private school teacher and baseball coach has been fired after deputies arrested him on child pornography charges.

Brandon Lybrand, 37, of LaGrange, faces four counts of computer electronic pornography and child exploitation after images were found on his computer, the Troup County Sheriff’s Office said.

Lybrand taught history and coached baseball at LaGrange Academy, a college prep school in the heart of the city.

Channel 2's Tom Regan learned investigators received a tip from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation last week. The sheriff's department obtained a search warrant and discovered evidence on Lybrand's computer.

"It's undetermined at this point what these images were sent or received on. Some may have gone up on the cloud," Sgt. Stewart Smith told Regan.

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School administrators fired Lybrand after his arrest. Investigators said so far there is no evidence his illegal activities involved students at the school.

Lybrand had no record of prior arrests nor he was listed as a sex offender. His arrest was a shock to many who live in the small city.

"It's horrible. That's all I knew what to say. He was a teacher and coach just, right down the street," Laura Haynes said.

Regan stopped by the house listed in the arrest report, but there was no answer. Lybrand is sitting in the county jail on $40,000 bond.

The head of school, Brian Dolinger, emailed AJC.com a statement that said Lybrand was fired after his arrest:

“We are shocked to share the following difficult information with you. This afternoon, we were informed by the Troup County Sheriff’s Department of the arrest of Mr. Brandon Lybrand for the alleged possession of child pornography. Mr. Lybrand will no longer be employed at LaGrange Academy,” Dolinger’s statement said.

Dolinger said there is no evidence of “any overt action toward” any students at LaGrange Academy. He also said anyone with information about the investigation should contact the sheriff’s office at 706-833-1616.

“LaGrange Academy takes the safety and security of our students very seriously,” the statement continued. “Open communication is an important part of maintaining a strong partnership with our parents. That partnership helps ensure a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students.”

Information from our partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this report.

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