Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Public safety

ALSDE employee, former chair of anti-abortion group arrested for child sex abuse

Cole Wagner, who worked in government relations for ALSDE, was indicted by a Montgomery grand jury on June 30.

Marty Decole “Cole” Wagner, who was employed by ALSDE in government relations until his arrest on Wednesday, was indicted by a Montgomery grand jury on June 30.
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

An Alabama Department of Education employee who once headed up an anti-abortion committee in the state was arrested Wednesday on charges of sexual abuse of a child under age 12. 

Marty Decole “Cole” Wagner, who was employed by ALSDE in government relations until his arrest on Wednesday, was indicted by a Montgomery grand jury on June 30, according to court records, for subjecting a child under 12 to “sexual contact.” A source familiar with the specifics of Wagner’s arrest told APR that the alleged victim in the case is under 10. 

“The allegations against Mr. Wagner are serious, tragic and shocking,” a statement from ALSDE said Thursday. “While he was employed by our department for only a few months, Mr. Wagner has been terminated effective immediately. No further information is available at this time as the investigation is ongoing.”

APR reported in 2018 that Wagner had been tapped to head up the anti-abortion committee Alliance for a Pro-Life Alabama, which was formed primarily to push a constitutional amendment saying there was no right to an abortion in Alabama. The amendment, which ultimately passed, had no effect on actual abortion laws. 

As chair of the committee, Wagner worked with a variety of Republican lawmakers and rightwing organizations to raise money and garner sponsorship. 

The Alliance for a Pro-Life Alabama is tasked with educating voters about the constitutional amendment and providing them with accurate and truthful information while, at the same time, refuting falsehoods and misinformation that may be disseminated by pro-abortion forces within the state,” Wagner said at the time. 

Wagner was released on $60,000 bond. Sexual abuse of a child under 12 is a Class B felony in Alabama, and carries a potential prison sentence of 2 to 20 years.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Josh Moon is an investigative reporter and featured columnist at the Alabama Political Reporter with years of political reporting experience in Alabama. You can email him at jmoon@alreporter.com or follow him on Twitter.

More from APR

Education

Senate Bill 8 would establish a certification for completing coursework centered around promoting pride in the United States.

Education

Alabama takes a pledge with thirteen other states aiming to cut chronic absenteeism in half in the next five years.

Legislature

A bill that could have led to the arrest of librarians narrowly missed becoming law last session, but sponsors have already filed a follow-up.

Education

The breached data potentially includes personally identifiable information such as names, addresses, and Social Security numbers.