Football coach Robert Carter reportedly gets arrested following explicit chats with students

Clarke County High School head football coach Robert Carter has been arrested on multiple charges involving an inappropriate relationship with a student. Authorities took the 55-year-old into custody Friday in Niceville, Florida, after he allegedly fled Alabama during the investigation.

Carter faces 11 charges, including four counts of a school employee engaging in a sex act with a student, four counts of distributing or soliciting obscene material from a student, and three counts of soliciting a sex act with a student, according to jail records cited by AL.com.

He was booked into the Okaloosa Department of Corrections just before 5 p.m. and remains held without bond while awaiting extradition to Alabama. His bond is reportedly set at $122,000.

Clarke County Schools Superintendent Ashlie Flowers confirmed Saturday that Robert Carter was placed on administrative leave on Feb. 18.

“As the leader of Clarke County Schools, I expect professionalism and integrity from my faculty and staff,” Flowers said in a statement via The Spun.

The suspension followed an investigation led by the Grove Hill Police Department, the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, and the 1st Judicial Major Crimes Task Force.

Carter had been Clarke County’s head coach since 2023. His team went 8-4 last season in Class 2A, reaching the second round of the playoffs before falling to Ariton. Over two seasons, he posted a 15-10 record.

Robert Carter was taken into custody during a traffic stop

According to the Okaloosa County Jail, Robert Carter was taken into custody during a traffic stop in Niceville at 4:12 p.m. Deputies executed the arrest warrant at the intersection of Highway 85 and State Road 123.

Carter has been a prominent figure in Alabama high school football. He took over the Clarke County program in 2023, leading the Bulldogs to a 7-6 record in his first season. In 2024, the team improved to 8-4 while competing in the AHSAA’s Class 2A, Region 1.

Before joining Clarke County, Carter served as the head coach at Beauregard High School, guiding the Hornets to the 2016 AHSAA Class 5A state championship.

Prior to taking over at Beauregard, he spent eight years as an assistant coach. In addition, Carter held assistant coaching roles at Crenshaw Christian, Russell County and Lanett.