Sherman Bellmyer

Introduction

Sherman Bellmyer is a former elementary-school principal in Carney, Oklahoma, who was arrested in August 2026 on a complaint of lewd or indecent proposals to a child and formally charged with a felony weeks later over an alleged inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old student. Bellmyer, 59, had led Carney Elementary and Middle School since the 2024-2025 school year and previously spent five years as an administrator in the Oklahoma City-area Mid-Del district; after his arrest, the school district barred him from campus, and he has since been terminated from his position, according to KOCO. Police Chief Brittney Alzyoud said the investigation could produce additional charges and urged parents to come forward if their children had information about him. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Background Information

Bellmyer became Carney Public Schools’ principal for the combined elementary and middle school campus at the start of the 2024-2025 school year, overseeing both stages of the small Lincoln County district. Before Carney, he worked in the Mid-Del School District for five years — four as an assistant principal and one year as a head principal — and, per his Mid-Del biography, taught in both Oklahoma and Alabama. Carney is a small town east of Guthrie, and its school system is the kind of place where a principal’s arrest reverberates through a single K-12 campus; the district sent a notice to parents acknowledging the criminal investigation and stating that the employee would not be on campus or at school activities while it proceeded.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged; terminated; presumption of innocence. Sherman Bellmyer, 59, the former principal of Carney Elementary and Middle School, was arrested August 9, 2026, on a complaint of lewd or indecent proposals to a child and charged August 27 with one felony count of lewd or indecent acts involving a child under 16 over an alleged inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old student; he has been terminated from his position and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case broke open after a report of an alleged sexually inappropriate relationship between Bellmyer and a 14-year-old minor reached Carney police. Bellmyer was arrested on Sunday, August 9, and booked into the Lincoln County Jail on a complaint of lewd or indecent proposals to a child; he has since bonded out, according to News 9. The Carney Police Department led the inquiry, with Chief Brittney Alzyoud serving as the public face of the investigation.

According to KOCO’s review of court records, the alleged grooming began when the victim was 11 years old. The affidavit states that a friend of the 14-year-old victim brought the situation to light, providing police with an explicit recorded phone call and a photo of a video call showing Bellmyer in the shower; the victim told police she had sent photos of herself to Bellmyer and engaged in explicit conversations with him. Prosecutors filed one count of lewd or indecent acts involving a child under 16 on Thursday, August 27, in Lincoln County court, and Bellmyer appeared in court that day with an attorney. “Right now, it’s just the lewd acts charge, but there could potentially be more charges as we continue the investigation,” Chief Alzyoud said. “He’s been a principal or teacher at a couple schools over the years, so if your kid has come to you with information about him, let your local law enforcement know so they can look into it.”

Public Reaction and Consequences

Carney Public Schools moved within a day of the arrest: Superintendent Cyal Walden confirmed the principal was barred from school property and prohibited from participating in any school-related activities while the investigation continued, and the district told parents in a notice that the employee would not be on campus or at any school activities. KOCO reported that Bellmyer “has since been terminated from his position.” The charging decision drew regional coverage across Oklahoma — Oklahoma City’s KOCO and News 9, Fox 25 and KFOR all covered the arrest and the formal charge — with the small district’s response, the chief’s public appeal for additional victims, and the count carrying a potential sentence measured in years dominating the coverage. Alzyoud’s department and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation, with the chief emphasizing that families across his two prior school districts should report any relevant information.

Current Status

As of November 7, 2026, Bellmyer has been charged with one count of lewd or indecent acts involving a child under 16, appeared in court with an attorney, and has a pre-preliminary hearing listed for October 22 in Lincoln County court records as reported by News 9; he has been terminated from the Carney district and remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Authorities have said the investigation remains active and additional charges are possible.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Bellmyer’s administrative career — two Oklahoma districts, five years in Mid-Del, and two years leading Carney’s combined campus — ended with a felony docket and a termination, and the investigation’s reach extends beyond Carney: the police chief publicly invited reports from families at the other schools where he worked, converting one town’s arrest into an open question about his prior postings. For the Carney district, the case meant a parents’ notice, a leadership vacancy on a single shared campus, and cooperation with an active criminal probe; for the alleged victim, the affidavit’s account of a recorded call and a video-call photograph has become the evidence backbone of a prosecution that prosecutors have said may grow. Bellmyer, out on bond, awaits the felony proceedings in Lincoln County District Court.

Sources

• Fox 25 (KOKH Oklahoma City), “Deputies arrest Carney principal on lewd or indecent proposals to a child charge,” Aug 2026 — source
• KOCO 5, “Former Carney principal charged with lewd acts involving student,” Aug 2026 — source
• News 9 (KWTV Oklahoma City), “Former Carney principal formally charged with lewd acts involving child,” Aug 2026 — source