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United States News Title: Trenton principal who allegedly stored weed, weapons in her office resigns TRENTON - Nicole Bethea will need to find a new place to hoard drugs and weapons. The Franklin Elementary School principal resigned from her position on Oct. 16, according to Trenton school board meeting minutes. From Sept. 18 until Sept. 20, Bethea allegedly failed to notify the superintendent or police that students brought marijuana and weapons to school. Instead, Bethea allegedly stashed the contraband in her office, sources with intimate knowledge of the situation previously told The Trentonian. A Franklin student brought a toy gun to the school on Sept. 18, another student brought marijuana to school on Sept. 19 and another student brought a BB gun to the school on Sept. 20, police said at the time. However, police did not start investigating the incidents until the afternoon of Sept. 20 because Bethea allegedly failed to report she was in possession of the weapons and marijuana to the proper authorities, sources said. Mercer County First Assistant Prosecutor Doris Galuchie said in an email Friday that the case “is still under review.” Bethea could potentially face criminal charges for failing to report the weed in her possession. The New Jersey state law for failure to make lawful disposition states: “Any person who knowingly obtains or possesses a controlled dangerous substance … and who fails to voluntarily deliver the substance to the nearest law enforcement officer is guilty of a disorderly persons offense.” The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office has reviewed cases similar to this in the past. In April 2015, The Trentonian reported that the director of Bo Robinson halfway house in Trenton was fired after he allegedly threw drugs in the trash that he seized. The matter was referred to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, which ultimately declined criminal prosecution on the charge of not handling the disposition of controlled dangerous substances properly. “He lost his job so we thought it was fine for them to just deal with it that way,” Galuchie said at the time. “It just didn’t seem like it would be appropriate to charge because the charge is generally for a user, not someone who’s disposing of it, albeit in an inappropriate manner.” Administratively, Bethea could have also faced discipline. Under New Jersey Administrative Code, “A school employee who seizes or discovers alcohol, other drug, or an item believed to be a controlled dangerous substance, including anabolic steroids, or drug paraphernalia, shall immediately notify and turn over to the principal or designee the alcohol, other drug, or item. The principal or designee shall immediately notify the chief school administrator or his or her designee who in turn shall notify the appropriate county prosecutor or other law enforcement official designated by the county prosecutor to receive such information.” The Trenton Board of Education has a district policy on substance abuse affirming that any educational staff member must properly report any matters concerning the alleged discovery of drugs on a student’s possession. Bethea, who started working in the district in 2003, earned a salary of nearly $130,000 in 2016. A district spokeswoman said Friday that Jennifer Yarde was named acting principal at Franklin to replace Bethea. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread |
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