Artesia head football coach and athletic director Cooper Henderson was found not guilty on Tuesday of a charge of battery stemming from a March 1 incident involving a 15-year-old Artesia High School student at an Artesia-Goddard basketball game in Roswell, The Associated Press reported.

Cooper, who just completed his 19th season as head coach of the Artesia Bulldogs by winning his 11th state championship, had been accused of grabbing 15-year-old Michael Perez by the jersey and pulling the boy up into his face, according to the AP.

But three witnesses at a hearing before Roswell Municipal Judge Larry Loy told a different story, saying the action was just a tug on the sleeve as Henderson tried to keep order among the Artesia students during the basketball game, the AP reported.

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