Copperas Cove ISD Director of Bands indicted, arrested
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
Lawrence Varela-Halbert Jr., who has served as CCISD’s Director of Bands since 2023, has been arrested on an indictment warrant by the Copperas Cove Police Department.
Coryell County District Attorney Dusty Boyd confirmed on Thursday morning that Varela-Halbert was indicted by a grand jury and then taken into custody by Copperas Cove police.
The charge is three counts of sexual assault of a child.
According to a media release by the Copperas Cove Police Department, they were notified of an allegation of an improper relationship between a female student and an educator on November 7.
“The offense was alleged to have occurred in 2021 when the student attended S.C. Lee Junior High School, where the educator was employed at the time.
“The department's Criminal Investigations Division immediately began an investigation, which revealed a sexual relationship occurred between the student and the educator in 2021 at his residence in Copperas Cove.”
He is currently awaiting arraignment, scheduled for Friday, December 20.
This case remains under investigation by the Criminal Investigations Division.
Varela-Halbert has been absent since around the 3rd week of October 2024, when unconfirmed reports of him being on administrative leave began to circulate.
Although CCISD does not comment on personnel matters, parents began questioning on social media about Varela-Halbert’s whereabouts in mid-November as well as any allegations at that time.
Although not mentioning Verela-Halbert by name, CCISD superintendent Joe Burns issued a statement just before 2 p.m. on Thursday.
“On Thursday, December 19, 2024, the Copperas Cove Police Department notified the Copperas Cove Independent School District of the arrest of a Copperas Cove High School educator for the alleged sexual assault of a child.
“When the district initially became aware of the allegation in late October, the educator was immediately removed from campus and placed on administrative leave and the district notified law enforcement to ensure a thorough investigation. The district has fully cooperated with law enforcement to assist in their investigation.
“The safety and well-being of our students is of utmost importance, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that our school community remains a safe and welcoming environment for all. In the meantime, I encourage you to speak with your children about the importance of speaking up if they witness or experience any behavior that makes them feel uncomfortable. We have resources available, including our counseling staff, for any student who may need support.
“We appreciate our community’s understanding and support as we work to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and our school community.”
Varela-Halbert has been on staff with CCISD since 2015, when he was hired as the band director of S.C. Lee Junior High School before being hired to replace the prior Director of Bands, who retired at the end of the 2022-2023 school year.