Pamela Rae Couch-Bevis, a 63-year-old Joplin resident and former principal at a Miami, Oklahoma, school, is accused under an Oklahoma law dealing with the publication, distribution, or preparation of obscene material. The accusation stems from an incident where Bevis allegedly repeatedly urged a student to open a box containing a sex toy, which ultimately led to her removal from the job.
The incident occurred on August 25 when four male students visited Bevis’s office to retrieve the school’s Auggie Doggie mascot costume for an upcoming football game. Miami police investigators state that Bevis handed one of the students a Nabisco cookie box, telling him it was specifically for him. The students told investigators that Bevis continued to encourage the boy to open the box, even after he attempted to return it to her. He eventually reached inside the box and pulled out a sex toy.
Students who were present described their reaction to investigators. One student stated the group was "in shock" at the discovery, noting they did not expect their principal to possess such an item. Another student indicated that Bevis appeared to know what was inside the box, given her persistent encouragement for the student to open it.
Investigators determined that the sex toy had originally been confiscated by Bevis during the previous school year. It was reportedly found stuck to a wall in a boys’ restroom. According to police, Bevis chose to keep the item in a box within her office closet rather than disposing of it after confiscation.
When questioned by detectives about the incident, Bevis reportedly described it as a "joke" and labeled it a "poor choice." She also told investigators that she had not intended for the student to take the item, and she suggested that she might have kept it with the intention of using it as a white elephant gift.
Following the incident, Miami Public Schools placed Bevis on paid administrative leave on August 26, the day after the event. The affidavit reviewed in the case notes that Bevis later informed investigators she reported the incident herself the following morning. However, police investigations revealed that a coach had already reported the incident to the district’s athletic director and another administrator prior to Bevis making her own report.
A district judge reviewed the affidavit on Monday, finding sufficient probable cause to allow the case to proceed through the legal system. The case against Bevis will now move forward.