An Alabama kindergarten “Teacher of the Year” was arrested Friday morning on sex charges involving local teenagers.

Heather Ozment, 49, who is an educator at Calera Elementary School, is charged with sexual abuse in the first and second degree and enticing a child to enter a vehicle or house for immoral purposes.

The Calera Police Department said that the alleged conduct happened after school hours and did not occur at a school facility or with Ozment’s students. 

BODYCAM SHOWS TEACHER BREAKING DOWN DURING ARREST FOR ALLEGEDLY MOLESTING 15-YEAR-OLD STUDENT

Ozment was awarded Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025, per the school’s Facebook page. 

“Allegations involving sexual misconduct with minors must be investigated immediately, thoroughly, and methodically, David Hyche, the chief of police at the said in a press release.

“Nothing we do in law enforcement is more important than protecting the most vulnerable in our community.”

Calera Elementary School where Ozment teaches. The Calera Police Department said that the alleged conduct happened after school hours and did not occur at a school facility or with Ozment’s students.  (Google Maps)

FORMER MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER ACCUSED OF SEX ACTS WITH STUDENT AS POLICE BELIEVE THERE ARE MORE VICTIMS

Hyche said that Owens House, a children’s advocacy non-profit, partnered with police to conduct forensic interviews and examinations of the juvenile victims. 

Shelby County Schools officials said they were made aware of the allegations in April. It is unclear when the alleged crimes took place. 

“The teacher was immediately put on leave for the remainder of the school year while the matter was investigated by local law enforcement,” according to a school statement provided to AL.com.

A Calera Police Department vehicle outside the police department.  (Calera Police Department)

“The alleged conduct occurred after school hours and did not take place at a school facility. We are unable to provide more information as it is an employee matter.”

According to the Shelby County Jail, Ozment was booked into the facility on Friday and released on the same day.

An escaped pet zebra has been reunited with its owner after an eight-day search across a Tennessee county.

The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office announced in a Facebook post on Sunday that “celebrity Zebra Ed” had been “rescued safely.”

“Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office is happy to report Tango 82 aviation crews located Zebra Ed and returned him to his owner Sunday,” officials wrote in the post.

The runaway zebra was found near Interstate 24 “in a pasture near the Buchanan Estates subdivision,” the sheriff’s office said.

ESCAPED ZEBRA CAUGHT ON CAMERA RUNNING ALONG BUSY TENNESSEE ROADWAY AS CHAOS FORCES LANE CLOSURES

Video of the rescue shows “Zebra Ed” being lifted high in the air by a helicopter out of a wooded area.

“Zebra Ed” originally arrived in Christiana on May 30, according to officials, and he was reported missing one day later by his owner.

The sheriff’s office didn’t say how or where the owners got the zebra, or where it was being housed at the time of its escape. 

BELOVED PET MAKES DARING ESCAPE FROM ANIMAL HOSPITAL AFTER SURGERY AND TRAVELS 3 MILES TO GET HOME

“Zebra Ed” running along a highway during its eight-day escapade. (Danielle Pitre/TMX)

Deputies said he escaped into a wooded area off Interstate 24, where he was spotted by bystanders “wreaking havoc,” between Joe B. Jackson Parkway and the Epps Mill Road exits.

Deputy Ryan Keach located the zebra near the interstate and shut down one lane of traffic for travelers’ safety on May 31, the sheriff’s office told Fox News Digital. 

“After the zebra crossed the interstate, deputies closed both the eastbound lanes toward Chattanooga and the westbound lanes toward Nashville,” the agency said. 

BABY GORILLA FOUND IN PLANE CARGO RECOVERING AT TURKISH ZOO

A zebra was on the loose in Tennessee after escaping from its owners over the weekend, authorities said.  (Danielle Pitre/TMX)

“Zebra Ed” was not spotted again for several days following the May 31 sighting, officials said.

Prior to Sunday’s rescue operation, Ed was spotted again on Friday, June 6, in a field near Ridgewood Drive in Christiana. The sheriff’s office announced that deputies saw him through a drone camera and were working with a veterinarian to safely rescue the animal.

“We don’t want to scare the zebra,” RCSO Cpl. Sean White said. “We need time to get him to calm down.”

The sheriff’s office did not disclose what is next for “Zebra Ed.”

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

Several people are injured after a skydiving plane crashed in Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, according to the Tullahoma Police Department.

The plane departed Tullahoma Regional Airport at approximately 12:30 p.m. and crashed shortly after takeoff, Tullahoma Community Engagement Officer Lyle Russell confirmed to Fox News Digital.

There were 20 people, including crew members, on board when the plane crashed.

“Happening Now: Coffee County – THP troopers are assisting @TullahomaPD at the scene of a plane crash on Old Shelbyville Road,” the Tennessee Highway Patrol posted on X.

FAA, NTSB INVESTIGATING AFTER 3 PEOPLE KILLED IN TENNESSEE PLANE CRASH

During a Sunday news conference, officials said that the plane had experienced an “unknown issue” shortly after takeoff that “resulted in an impact on trees and terrain.”

Three people were taken to local hospitals for medical treatment via helicopter, while one victim was sent by ground transport for more serious injuries, Russell said. Other minor injuries were treated by first responders at the scene.

There are no fatalities reported at this time.

FAA INVESTIGATING UPSTATE NEW YORK PLANE CRASH WITH 6 PEOPLE ON BOARD 

The sheriff’s office said the skydiving plane involved in a crash in Tennessee on Sunday was a DeHaviland DH-6 Twin Otter.  (Tennessee Highway Patrol)

“We are grateful the injuries were limited, and our hearts and minds are with those who went through this accident and their upcoming recovery,” officials said during the news conference.

The sheriff’s office said the skydiving plane was a DeHaviland DH-6 Twin Otter. 

“No ground facilities or airport facilities were damaged and there were no injuries reported from the ground,” officials added. 

DELTA UP-SIDE-DOWN PLANE CRASH AT TORONTO AIRPORT MARKS NORTH AMERICA’S 4TH MAJOR AVIATION DISASTER IN A MONTH

Twenty people were on the plane when it crashed shortly after takeoff. (Tennessee Highway Patrol)

Authorities said this is an active scene and local officials will provide more updates as they become available. 

Multiple injuries were reported, though the sheriff’s office said there were no fatalities. (Tennessee Highway Patrol)

Officials are urging residents to avoid the area while the investigation continues.

The FAA responded to the scene and is working with local airport personnel, officials said, adding that the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) will be taking over the investigation. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com