A former physical education teacher at a Texas elementary school was arrested for allegedly taking prescription medication from the nurse’s office. Current state crime charges include criminal mischief, criminal trespassing and theft, which could all potentially carry long-term implications if the teacher is convicted. Although no longer employed at the school, police have yet to reveal his or her identity.
In Aug. 2016, the school nurse discovered that the lock to a medications cabinet had a broken-off key stuck inside of it. Upon further inspection, the nurse discovered that medications were missing, and she subsequently reported the issue to the school’s administration. Local police officials were brought in to help, and they determined that a PE teacher was possibly involved.
The school took action to place the former PE instructor on administrative leave, but he or she resigned later that day. Parents who were notified of the possible theft expressed mixed emotions regarding the incident, with one parent stating that he or she hoped that the former teacher would be able to receive the necessary help. The teacher is currently set to go to court in Oct. 2016 for the charge of misdemeanor theft, but no dates have been set for the other allegations.
State crime charges related to the theft or unlawful possession of prescription medication can have severe consequences. In addition to jail time and fines, a conviction can also have a lasting impact on a defendant’s personal and professional reputation. While this can be an understandably overwhelming ordeal for Texas defendants, a guilty judgement cannot be rendered unless the prosecution is able to definitively prove that each and every aspect of a charge is both viable and true. Until such time, the law demands that every defendant facing a criminal charge must be held as innocent.
Source: click2houston.com, “Katy ISD teacher accused of stealing drugs from nurses office, district says“, Lea Wilson and Jake Reiner, Sept. 6, 2016
