School board prez resigns after being accused of obscenity

RUSTON, La. (AP) — The president of a north Louisiana school board has resigned after being arrested on charges of obscenity and drug possession.

David Gullatt, 72, of Simsboro, was arrested Friday by Ruston police officers answering a complaint that a man was performing a lewd act in a car parked at a shopping center, news outlets reported.

Gullatt, also a former university dean, told officers he was just changing his clothes, KNOE-TV reported. A search of his car turned up a plastic bag containing suspected methamphetamine, police said.

Gullatt faces felony charges of obscenity, possession of an illegal drug, and introduction of contraband into a penal facility, as well as a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, news outlets reported. He was released after posting bond of $30,000.

It was unknown if he's represented by an attorney who could speak on his behalf. A call to a number listed for a David Gullatt in Simsboro was answered by a man who said only, “He's not here.”

Gullatt, a former dean of the College of Education at Louisiana Tech University, was elected president of the Lincoln Parish School Board in January. He resigned after his arrest, news outlets reported.

With less than a year left in Gullatt’s term, the school board scheduled a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday to elect a new president and appoint an interim member to fill the District 3 seat until a special election can be held, officials said.

Board spokesperson Brandon Sutherland confirmed the board is conducting its own investigation into Gullatt’s arrest.