Community reaction to alleged sex abuse

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. - A local teacher turned himself in to police in Baldwin County. That teacher is now facing multiple charges including enticement, sexual abuse, and harassment.

Ginny Ford's daughter is only two-years-old, but she said when she heard about what allegedly happened to four middle school girls at Central Baldwin she thought, "What if this happened to my child?"

"Contact with your students should stop at 3:00, it's inappropriate," Ford said.

Police said Bryan Pettibone's contact with students involved text messages. Ford said, you can't stop predators from trying but it's up to parents to stop it from the kids' side.

"Just ask your kids questions. I remember my mom used to ask us when we got home what happened in school today asking us what's going on. You want to be their guardian and parent and watch out for them," said Ford.

Ford said she feels badly for other teachers as well because there are great ones out there and an incident like this puts them in a bad light. This story has many in the community concerned, but adding to that, the suspect not only was a teacher but a coach which many of you know means additional hours with students.

David Wells has four children and said teachers and coaches see kids most of the time more than their parents during the week, and knows how kids look up to them.

"You can really make a good mark on a child or a bad one, from what I understand this is definitely not going to leave a good mark for the kids that see this," Wells said.

A grand jury indicted Pettibone on 12 charges, including enticement, sexual abuse, and harassment. Pettibone is being held on $25,000 bond.