Basketball Coach Arrested on Injury to a Child Charge

Zachariary Joseph Griffin-Guidry, 30.

A former Overton ISD girls basketball coach has been arrested following an investigation into an incident involving a middle school student during a basketball practice earlier this month.

Zachariary Joseph Griffin-Guidry, 30, was taken into custody on January 29, 2026, and booked into the Rusk County Jail on a felony charge of injury to a child.

According to investigators, the incident occurred on January 14, 2026, inside the Overton High School gymnasium during basketball practice. Authorities allege that Griffin-Guidry grabbed and twisted the ears of a seventh-grade female student after she ran a basketball play incorrectly.

Investigators reported that the student cried during the incident and was forced onto her tiptoes due to the pain. The student later told her parents that her ears were burning following the encounter.

The incident was captured on surveillance video inside the gym, which investigators reviewed as part of their case. After learning of the alleged incident, the student’s parents reported the matter to authorities and chose to pursue charges.

Griffin-Guidry was subsequently arrested and charged with injury to a child. Officials confirmed that he is no longer employed by Overton Independent School District.

The investigation remains ongoing. No additional details have been released at this time.