DELTA, Ohio —
UPDATE: As of Nov. 25, 2024, an internal investigation from the high school cleared the principal of any wrongdoing in the incident. Additional, the Village of Delta's prosecutor declined to prosecute the principal.
The Pike-Delta-York Local School District said its investigation found no wrongdoing by a high school principal who allegedly strip-searched a student during an October incident.
According to the school district, no wrongdoing was found against Delta High School Principal Doug Ford, whom a student's mother said instructed her son to remove his pants after he allegedly hid a cellphone in his waistband.
The incident is also under investigation by the Delta Police Department after the student's mother filed a report, but the department said it is still pending review by the prosecutor's office.
The student's mother, Tiffany Sargent, said in a TikTok that her son had his phone out in class and was brought to the principal's office. Her son then lied to Ford by claiming he did not have a cellphone on him, and Ford searched her son with a metal director wand.
When it picked up on the cellphone, which was hidden between the waistband of his pants and the shorts he was wearing underneath them, Sargent says Ford told her son to drop his pants.
Her son complied and his phone was revealed. Sargent argued her son should have never been asked to remove his pants without her or another adult in the room.
Stay with WTOL 11 for the latest updates in this story and more as they become available.
Want more from WTOL 11?
➡️ Download the WTOL 11 news app for Apple here or get it in the Google store here.
➡️ Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL 11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox!
WTOL 11's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed.
Click here to get on the list!