Virginia district confirms former employee’s 2025 resignation following media attention; inappropriate text messages alleged

A Virginia school district has publicly confirmed a former employee’s resignation last year following an inquiry into alleged inappropriate communications with a student.

Chesapeake Public Schools Superintendent Doug Brubaker addressed the former employee in a letter to families earlier this month. The employee was identified by WAVY.com as a former in-school suspension coordinator at Hugo Owens Middle School.

The resignation occurred in October 2025, but recent media attention prompted the district’s public acknowledgment, WAVY reported.

An episode titled “Middle School Staffer QUIETLY Retired After Caught Messaging A Student (Chesapeake, VA)” premiered Sept. 30 on the YouTube channel Predator Poachers Long Island. (Warning: The video contains adult-themed content and strong language.) 

In the video, an investigative journalist interviews a man later identified as Ozzie Bruns. The man tells the journalist he “sent some inappropriate texts on Facebook Messenger to (the student),” whom he describes as a “beautiful girl.”

“I got called into the office over that,” he says in the video. “I was going to be put on administrative leave. I decided to retire.”

The district, which enrolls more than 40,000 students across 48 schools and centers, told journalists it had reported the incident to the Chesapeake Police Department and Child Protective Services.

Brubaker’s letter “encouraged anyone with concerns about an interaction involving Bruns to contact the Chesapeake Police Department directly rather than rely on secondhand accounts,” Hoodline’s Hampton Roads outlet reported.

“The decision to reach out to families suggests the district anticipated the allegations would draw community attention, even as key details remain unconfirmed,” the outlet noted.

Other similar incidents

A similar incident occurred in 2022, when Tyler Ashnault was placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into alleged inappropriate communications with a student, according to WTKR.com.

“Our practice is that we do not comment further on such situations because the matter involves personnel and a student,” the district said in a release at the time. “The safety of our students is our top priority, and Chesapeake Public Schools expects all employees to act with the utmost professionalism to provide a positive learning environment for all students.”

As Heartlander News previously reported, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has increased efforts to remind federally funded educational institutions of their legal obligations to “appropriately respond to incidents of sexual misconduct.”

A recent incident occurred at a school in northeastern Oklahoma, where a principal was placed on leave after allegedly showing students a sex toy. In Texas alone, thousands of educators have been accused of inappropriate conduct with students since 2021.

“Our schools must protect America’s children,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said when announcing the initiative this summer. “Parents should never have to wonder whether their kids’ school employs and protects sexual predators.”

(Image credit: Hugo Owens Middle School/Screenshot/cpschools.com)