Russell Co. sheriff’s deputy arrested on sex act charges after engaging with student

RUSSELL COUNTY, Ala. (WTVM) - The Russell County Sheriff’s Office is holding a press conference Wednesday morning on the arrest of their own sheriff’s deputy.According to Sheriff Heath Taylor, a Russell County sheriff’s deputy was arrested on four charges of school employee engaging in a sex act with a student under 19.Sheriff Taylor says Joseph Cooner, 30, is a Russell County School Resource Officer at the middle school. His relationship was with a high school student. Rumors turned into allegations which resulted in a detailed investigation, according to Sheriff Taylor.An investigation revealed that the sheriff’s deputy had four encounters with the high school student over the last month.Cooner is being held at the Tallapoosa County Jail with no bond, currently.The reason he’s being held at that jail is because the sheriff’s office doesn’t hold their own deputies in their jail. He has previously worked in Lee and Chambers counties.Cooner has been employed with the RCSO for a year and