SPENCER — The father of a former Owen Valley High School football player is facing a felony battery charge, accused of punching head coach Duane Potts.

John Stacks, 53, is charged with battery resulting in bodily injury. He is free on a $10,000 bond from the Owen County Jail.

Stacks became upset after his son, senior cornerback Justin Stacks, was dismissed from the football team on Oct. 15, a report by the Spencer Police Department said.

On Oct. 24, John Stacks went to the high school football building and demanded an apology from Potts for his son's dismissal, the report said.

As Potts stood in the doorway between the coach's office and the laundry room, he told John Stacks he was "sorry that Justin's senior year turned out the way it did," the report stated.

After that, the report said, John Stacks punched Potts in the head, leaving three reddish-colored bumps where his knuckles made contact as well as a small cut just above Potts' left eyebrow.

John Stacks left the building, and Spencer police were later contacted by Indiana State Police Detective Alan McElroy, who is also a coach with the school's football program.

Bob Andree, Owen County's deputy prosecutor, said John Stacks was charged with a felony instead of a misdemeanor because state law treats school employees much like police or corrections officers.

John Stacks appeared in Owen Circuit Court on Oct. 31, where an automatic not guilty plea was entered on his behalf by Judge Frank Nardi's court referee, Suzanne Sturgeon.

During that hearing, John Stacks was ordered to have no contact with Potts and keep off school property. He is also prohibited from attending any school-related functions while the case is pending.

Pretrial hearings were scheduled on Nov. 27 and Dec. 30. A trial date will be set later, Andree said.

Potts, a former assistant coach with the Owen Valley program, moved into the head coaching position this year after former head coach Troy Burgess left to take a position in Greenfield.