An assistant principal in Texas allegedly brought cocaine onto school premises and now faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Jessica Sanchez, 40 years old and a five-year employee of Goose Creek Independent School District, was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony drug possession on March 7, per the Houston Chronicle.
Harris County Assistant District Attorney Hector Garza told KHOU 11 that a straw with cocaine had been found in the employee restroom of William B. Travis Elementary School in Baytown, Texas.
The school notified district police, who conducted a sweep and reportedly found nearly a gram of cocaine in Sanchez’s vehicle.
According to Garza, Sanchez confessed to police that she had done cocaine before school that morning. She was arrested and later released on a $5,000 bond.
In a statement, Goose Creek ISD officials related the news of Sanchez’s arrest and assured parents that the employee restroom was not accessible to students.
“We are cooperating fully with the criminal investigation and will move forward swiftly to end the staff member’s employment with the District,” the statement read, per KHOU 11.
As a condition of her bond, Sanchez is required to attend all scheduled court appearances and comply with drug testing. Furthermore, she is prohibited from possessing any illegal drugs or alcohol.
Since the school is a drug-free zone, possession of less than a gram of cocaine is considered a third-degree felony under Texas law. If Sanchez is found guilty, she could serve between two and 10 years in state prison.
Drugs continue to be a problem in Texas, which is a major transit state for drug traffickers. In El Paso in January alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted 327.78 pounds of methamphetamine, 139.81 pounds of cocaine, and 42.70 pounds of fentanyl.
In Dallas, there have been 490 drug-related arrests made so far this year, representing about a 9% increase year-over-year, per data from the Dallas Police Department.
