Inset: Debra McGillem (Steuben County Sheriff”s Office). Background: Angola High School in Indiana (Metropolitan School District of Steuben County).
An Indiana high school teacher is facing charges after two of her students mistakenly ate THC gummies, thinking they were regular candy, authorities say.
According to a Facebook post, the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office began investigating on Friday morning after the resource deputy at Angola High School learned about the two students eating the gummies during the last class period on Thursday.
“The preliminary investigation indicated that the two students involved were in class at the time of the incident and were unaware that the candy they ate contained THC. The candy was reportedly located inside the classroom out in the open,” deputies wrote.
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Further investigation revealed that 49-year-old Debra McGillem brought the gummies into the school. The district’s website says she is a language arts teacher at the school located in the northern part of the Hoosier State. McGillem lives in Reading, Michigan, which is some 25 miles northeast of the school.
Cops took the teacher into custody. They say they found more suspected THC gummies on her person. Deputies determined she was allegedly under the influence and operating a vehicle while impaired.
McGillem faces charges of neglect of a dependent and possession of a controlled substance on school property, both level 6 felonies, along with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a misdemeanor. Authorities also alerted the Indiana Department of Child Services.
The teacher was taken to the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office on a $6,500 bond. She remained in jail as of Saturday morning.
Matthew L. Widenhoefer, superintendent of Metropolitan School District of Steuben County (MSDSC), addressed the situation in a Facebook post to parents.
“The school district is aware that an MSDSC staff member has been booked into the Steuben County Jail. The district has initiated an internal investigation, and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken in accordance with district policy and applicable law,” the statement said.
