American teacher of Woodward, Oklahoma charged with abuse spanning more than a decade

Benjamin Hall was charged with seven counts of lewd acts on a child, but police said they believe there are more victims

By Edward Era Barbacena 

A middle school teacher in Woodward could face prison time after multiple students came forward, claiming years of inappropriate behavior.

Benjamin Hall is the physical education and health teacher, as well as the former softball head coach. He was charged with seven counts of lewd acts on a child, but police said they believe there are more victims.

Over the past decade, female students at Woodward Middle School claimed their PE teacher had been abusing them daily. Now, they are coming forward and seeking justice.

"Honestly, why no one ever came to law enforcement, I don’t know," said Capt. Darren Navratil with the Woodward Police Department.

Hall is accused of inappropriately touching his female students. The alleged abuse began his first year as a teacher in 2012.

He was arrested Thursday at his home.

"We found victims going back to 2012. Girls that had no way of knowing each other that were telling very similar stories, giving very similar accounts," Navratil said.

Multiple former female students came forward with the same story, claiming Hall would slap their buttocks with a ruler, meter stick or even his hand. One 19-year-old claimed Hall did this to her in the eighth grade, telling her "he just wanted to see how well it would bounce back," according to court documents.

"Students complained. They didn’t see anything coming of it. Parents complained. Didn’t see anything coming of it," Navratil said.

In the court documents, students said Hall would have a line of girls stretching in front of him in PE as he watched from behind, never letting them change out of their skirts or dresses.

Hall was also the softball coach for a few seasons. One player claimed he cupped her breasts, and another player said he put his hand on her upper thigh.

She said it made her so uncomfortable, she quit her senior year.

Now, police said they are encouraging more victims to come forward.

"I really don’t believe that we have found everybody. I just don’t," Navratil said.

Investigators said now that Hall is charged, they will work with the district to see if any more investigation is needed. The district said safety is their highest priority, and that Hall was placed under administrative leave.

His bond was set at $100,000, and he bonded out on Thursday. Hall's next court appearance will be Tuesday.