Case dismissed against former coach

KILGORE — The criminal case against the former head football coach at Poteau High School, accused of embezzling from another Oklahoma high school, has been dismissed, according to court records.
Forrest Mazey, 44, was accused of one count of embezzlement out of Pittsburg County in July 2025. He had pleaded not guilty. Court records show the case was dismissed on Jan. 26 following a preliminary hearing.

A felony information sheet said Mazey was accused of “fraudulently appropriating the sum” of more than $4,600 that belonged to McAlester Public Schools.

A probable cause affidavit said that the McAlester Public Schools Campus Police Department was notified of missing funds from one of the school’s athletic programs on June 3, where Mazey previously served as a football coach.

The head football coach at McAlester Public Schools alleged that he logged into the football team’s Adidas sportswear account, which was supposed to have $6,000 in it, but the account was missing $4,676.75.

The money in the account was a credit given to the McAlester football team for purchases, including gear for players and coaches. The affidavit said that the account was only to be used by the head coach of the football program and the athletic director.

Police searched the login and order information from the account, which all linked back to Mazey and included a shipping address to Mazey’s address, according to the affidavit.

His employment at McAlester Public Schools ended on Dec. 16, 2024, while the first purchase made by Mazey on the account was a day after his employment had ended, and he was no longer able to make purchases using accounts with the district.

Mazey was the head coach at McAlester High School from 2019 to 2025, where he also served as the dean of students. He also spent four seasons as the head coach at Poteau High School, where he led the Pirates to two undefeated seasons.

Our news partner KETK reported that Mazey was most recently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Kilgore College in Texas until his termination on July 25.

Criminal history and lawsuit

Mazey’s criminal history shows an Alford plea, which allows a defendant to plead guilty while maintaining their innocence, in December 2024, to one count of pointing or aiming a gun or pistol at another and one count of reckless conduct with a firearm. He was given a 90-day deferred sentence.

Court records showed Mazey pointed a gun at an assistant coach while on a coaches’ retreat in McCurtain County in July 2024.

On July 18, 2025, Zach Baugh, an assistant coach under Mazey at McAlaster, filed a lawsuit against Mazey for pointing a gun at him. Baugh is seeking $75,000 in punitive damages for negligence and assault with a deadly weapon.

The latest filing in the lawsuit was dated Jan. 29, where counsel for Mazey asked for the suit to be dismissed.