Teacher’s ‘concerning behavior’ ends in drug arrest at school, Florida cops say

A first grade teacher “exhibiting concerning behavior” was arrested at work and charged with possession of a controlled substance, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.

It happened Tuesday, April 12, at Hammett Bowen Elementary School, and the drugs involved included MDMA (also known as Ecstasy or Molly) and Suboxone, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The school, located southwest of Ocala, has just over 800 students in pre-kindergarten through Grade 5.

“School Resource Officer (SRO) Edwin Velasquez, who is assigned to Hammett Bowen Elementary School, was notified by school administrators that a first-grade teacher ... was exhibiting concerning behavior,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Due to her behavior, (she) was sent to the school’s clinic for a wellness check. Other teachers saw (the teacher) going toward the classroom bathroom before leaving the school, causing concern that (she) was attempting to hide something.”

Velasquez and school administrators searched the restroom — “which students also use” — and found a bottle bearing the teacher’s name, officials said.

“The pill bottle contained a red straw, half of a green pill, and a small plastic baggie of green powder. A field test of the powder provided a positive result for MDMA (aka “Ecstasy” or “Molly”),” the sheriff’s office said.

The 37-year-old teacher was arrested on campus and searched, and found to be “in possession of Suboxone,” officials said.

Suboxone is a medication prescribed “to decrease the severity of withdrawal symptoms and reduce a patient’s dependence on opioids,” according to Recoverycare.org.

The teacher was taken to the Marion County Jail and charged with “two counts of possession of a controlled substance,” sheriff’s office officials said.

This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 8:21 AM with the headline "Teacher’s ‘concerning behavior’ ends in drug arrest at school, Florida cops say."