CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WWBT) – New details are emerging about the incident that led to the arrest of a teacher who allegedly had drugs at school.
On Thursday, Aug. 29, just before 2 p.m., police responded to Hopkins Elementary School after a teacher was found to have drugs with her in the building.
According to court documents 12 On Your Side obtained on Friday, a non-verbal autistic student went through 47-year-old Mary Horton’s bag and found and opened two plastic baggies with suspected narcotics.
“One baggie contained white powder consistent with cocaine, and the other had a crystal-like substance consistent with methamphetamine,” said the officer who responded to the school.
The report goes on to say Horton initially denied knowing that the drugs were in her bag and did not belong to her.
The officer then asked Horton when the school board drug tests her if she would test positive for cocaine and meth, and she said yes.
The court records show that Horton then goes on to say that she and her husband use cocaine recreationally and eventually admitted the zipper bag came with her son’s new backpack. She believed her husband left it in her bag after they snorted the drug over the weekend.
She was charged with felony child neglect and two counts of possession of a Schedule I/II controlled substance on school property.
Hopkins Elementary School’s principal shared the following statement to families Thursday evening:
“Good afternoon, families and staff: I am writing to share with you information about something that happened today at school. This afternoon inside our school, a student found a bag containing unknown substances. As soon as our administrative team was made aware, Chesterfield Police became involved. During the investigation, the police determined that the substances are illegal drugs. Only one student was involved and the student’s family was notified immediately. As always, student safety is a top priority, and we are all partners in maintaining a safe learning environment. We ask that everyone be involved and aware. If you see something, say something. If you know something, make sure someone at school knows it too. Thank you for your continued support, which means a great deal to me and our entire school. After all, excellence is our common goal.”
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