Formal charges have been filed against the former principal of Wewoka Middle School who was arrested last fall following allegations of sexual misconduct on the school grounds.

According to court records, Cody Coy Barlow, 33, was charged with two counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16. The charges were filed April 13 in Seminole District Court. Barlow made his initial court appearance yesterday afternoon.

Barlow, who was also a youth pastor at Wewoka First Baptist Church, was arrested Oct. 27 on child sexual assault charges following an investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. On Oct. 12, Barlow was allegedly caught by a school employee having inappropriate contact with a male student. Barlow was placed on leave effective the same day.

According to a separate lawsuit filed in November in federal court, a Wewoka Middle School counselor walked into Barlow’s office on Oct. 12 and witnessed him standing behind a 7th grade boy, rubbing the boy’s shoulders and thrusting his hips back and forth against the back of the boy. The counselor let out a yelp, but Barlow did not stop. After the counselor screamed, Barlow sat down and placed the boy in his lap. Barlow and the Wewoka School District are both named as defendants in the lawsuit.

Barlow became a teacher in Wewoka during the 2012-2013 school year and became principal of Wewoka Middle School during the 2019 - 2020 school year.