MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – A 44-year-old former Mobile teacher was arrested and fired after a disturbing video went viral showing a woman allegedly hitting a child more than 20 times with a belt.
Nicole Staples was released from Metro Jail Wednesday evening and captured on video bolting straight onto a golf cart after posting a $7,500 bond.
Staples was arrested Wednesday afternoon and charged with willful abuse of a child under 18 after the video circulated on social media.
Her son Jackson Staples who no longer lives at home, said he received the video Tuesday and was alarmed.
“I didn’t feel like, you know, she should be working at the school or even doing that to my little brothers. You know, she done it to me my whole life, so I’m 24,” Jackson Staples said.
Jackson said the incident appeared to start because his younger brother had not completed his chores.
“Something about he wasn’t cleaning the kitchen like he was supposed to be, he left, went to the neighbor’s house, come back and then it transpired into that,” he said.
In the footage, a woman can be heard yelling and hitting the boy as he cries. The clip also appears to show the woman throw the boy to the ground by his hair.
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch called the video “egregious.”
“I mean I’m all about disciplining a child if you have problems with them, you know, if that involves a spanking, you know, everybody disciplines their children different ways, but that was way above and beyond any form of discipline,” Burch said.
Burch said the investigation is far from over.
“The fact that another person in the home felt the need to video…that is somewhat telling,” he said.
Staples was a teacher at Cottage Hill Christian Academy. While the incident happened off-campus, the school released a statement saying she has been fired.
Jackson Staples said his younger brothers are now staying with their aunt in Baldwin County.
Staples is scheduled to appear before a judge for a formal bond hearing Friday.
Copyright 2025 WALA. All rights reserved.
