An elementary school teacher from Manchester has been placed on administrative leave following a Connecticut drug bust. Authorities claim that the teacher and her husband were growing marijuana and in possession of various drugs, including methamphetamine, at their apartment. The 45-year-old woman and her 41-year-old husband were taken into custody on April 23 after authorities conducted a search and seizure operation on their residence. They will now have to face these drug crimes in court.
Police in Manchester claim that they discovered marijuana-growing equipment, pot plants, meth and cash inside the couple's residence during the search and seizure operation. According to school officials, the arrested woman is an employee of Robertson Elementary School, where she works as a teacher of third graders. The superintendent's office said that they are unable to comment on the matter aside from saying that the woman had been put on leave as a result of her arrest.
During the arrest, authorities say they confiscated the illegal drugs, paraphernalia, thousands of dollars in cash and other items. They also seized cellphones, a computer and a television for evidence-gathering purposes. The couple will face numerous drug offense charges, including marijuana cultivation, drug factory operation, drug possession with the intention to sell and heroin and cocaine possession.
These charges are serious and because this Connecticut couple maintained their residence inside a school zone, their punishments could be even worse if convicted of the alleged drug crimes. In order to obtain the best possible outcome in their criminal proceedings, they may wish to employ various criminal defense strategies. Depending upon the evidence being brought forward against them, for example, they may be able to cast doubt upon some or all of the prosecution's evidence and witness in a way that garners them a not guilty verdict. They might also choose to enter into a plea bargaining agreement, where they plead guilty to certain less serious offenses in exchange for getting more serious charged dropped or dismissed.
Source: NBC Connecticut, "Manchester Teacher, Husband Charged With Running Drug Factory" Ari Mason, May. 01, 2014