photo by: Nick Krug

South Middle School students hang out on the patio outside the school after early release on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017.

A former South Middle School teacher who was arrested after a reported outburst at the school Thursday has been released from jail and is scheduled to appear in court next month.

Chris Cobb, 57, was arrested on misdemeanor charges of criminal trespassing, interference with duties of a police officer and disorderly conduct around 2 p.m. Thursday, when he turned up at the school unannounced and allegedly made threatening remarks to staff. Hours later, on Thursday night, Cobb was released from the Douglas County Jail on his own recognizance.

Cobb, who taught sixth-grade social studies at South, resigned from his job in fall 2016 following an investigation into alleged racist comments he had made in class. He has since denied all wrongdoing while remaining largely silent about the specific allegations against him, and, when asked by the Journal-World earlier this year, Cobb said he could not recall the exact remarks that prompted the allegations in October 2016. The school district has never released details about the incident.

On Thursday, students and staff were briefly put on lockdown while Cobb reportedly confronted employees in a seemingly intoxicated state in South’s main office, according to the school district’s spokeswoman. Police officers were called to the scene and eventually removed Cobb from the building, later arresting and taking him to the jail for booking.

His first court appearance stemming from that arrest is slated for April 17 at Lawrence’s Municipal Court.

Aside from Thursday’s arrest, Cobb has no criminal record in Douglas County.

It does not appear that any weapons were involved in the incident that led to the arrest, Sgt. Amy Rhoads of the Lawrence Police Department told the Journal-World Thursday. Cobb was not tased during the arrest, according to police.