Polenta Elementary teacher in drug bust

The story is under local news on www.1270wmpm.com

She was one of 50 arrested, but she was arrested at the school! :shock:

Disclaimer: Innocent until proven guilty. But DERN!!!!

 

This is WRONG! If you read the article, you'll see she has NOT been connected to any meth labs/drug dealers/proof she was paid to buy cold medicine.

She works in an elementary school where, if it's like my school, half the children are coughing and sneezing on their teachers right now! If you look at the sudafed website, she might have purchased one or two packages of children's sudafed for her own children (not her students, of course) and one or two (12 hour capsules) for her and her husband's colds. That would put her over the monthly limit! It does not say she bought them all on one day so she might have bought some and 20 days later bought more!

I understand the need to watch out for drug dealers, but to arrest someone at their place of employment without any proof they are connected to any sort of drug dealing/drug manufacturing could just be a huge mistake that could ruin her life.

Now, if evidence is found that shows she is involved in meth in any way, she needs to go to jail. From the article, there is no evidence at this time!

 

Says she bought over 9 grams in a 30 day period. Thats 6-7 boxes. I know i can only get 3 boxes of 48 pills in a 30 day period. During the spring i use that many but during the rest of the year 1 box per month will do me.

Thats a lot of pills she bought. Might be for legit reasons, who knows, but the law is the law.

 

how much meth can you get out of 10 boxes of that over the counter sudafed crap anyway? i thought they took all the good stuff out of it. i know i have to sign for some of it, but seriously, how much of a meth lab could i have with 9 grams of sudafed?

edit: upon further review, i guess if you had 50 people each buying 10 boxes, you'd have yourself enough for a lab...

ok, then. so how much does it pay to be one of 50 people buying 10 boxes of sudafed?

 

Whhooaaa.....I am confused. There is a limit as to how many boxes of sudafed you can buy at a store.

 

There is a limit on the amount of any pills like that with psuedoephedrine (sp) in it. 3 grams per 30 day period. Now how much meth stuff you can get out of that amount, no idea. I dont roll that way.

The stuff you sign for has the psuedowhatever in it. The stuff you dont sign for has none of it.

 

Yes, and you have to sign your name and I believe show your drivers license. It's a PITA now, but Advil Cold & Sinus is the only thing that works for me, so I go through it. You feel like a criminal, but I guess its necessary.

 

yes. at all stores actually. some of it still apparently contains somethingorother that you can cook up and make meth out of. people were going around from store to store buying the whole stock. so now you have to show a driver's license and sign for certain over the counter cold and sinus medicines. they keep track of how much you buy.

 

Wow, I had no idea. I usually order my stuff every couple of months from drugstore.com....

 

Call me Stupid

I never knew that. I will have to watch myself because for some reason, I get sick alot in the winter months (and yes, I do get flu shots). I still get sick.

 

Actually, it's 9 grams in 30 days.

According to Sudafed's website, if I bought one box of children's sudafed for my children and one large box of 12 hour sudafed for me today because we all have fall allergies, and then I needed to buy another package of children's sudafed on Oct. 25 because my children all caught colds at school (or I just ran out due to their allergies), I COULD BE ARRESTED ON A FELONY CHARGE! (It's less expensive to buy the large count boxes, so that is what I usually do which means fewer boxes will equal nine grams. However, with 3 children and 2 adults using the medicine, those large boxes will be used somewhat quickly.) Since the article also reports she went to different stores during the 30 days, consider where you buy your cold medicine. Is it always at the same store, or is it where it's most convenient the day you need to buy it?

Another teacher here is panicking because she bought a box for her husband a last week, and was planning to buy more today. If she needs to buy anymore this month, she could be arrested! I used to keep one box at school and one box at home, but not anymore! I'll just have to carry it in my purse. Hopefully that won't be against the law anytime soon.

One question I have is that, if it is found that this teacher was not working for a meth lab, will 1270 put an apology to her on its webpage, or will they forget to mention that she is innocent? I also do not like its comparison of her to the conviction of the two child molestors. Buying cold medicine is not equal to molesting a child.

 

Probably the same as any other news site. Does WRAL apologize for running news stories? :?:

 

No, but they should. A family friend was accused in civil court of something (red flag...they did not file a police report, just after the money) and it made the front page of the paper. Once the trial was over and it was determined that the accuser was lying, the paper did not cover the story at all. They let the world assume he was guilty. I guess truth does not always equal news.

If this woman is involved in drug activity, they should throw the book at her. I just get uncomfortable with someone being arrested without proof they are involved in drugs when it could have been an innocent mistake. I also don't see why they had to arrest her at the school during school hours. They could have waited until the end of the day.

 

Maybe it was an innocent mistake, but having bought sudafed in the last year, and with the immense amount of news coverage that came with the change in the law, I have a hard time buying that. Sadly, people who are cleared of crimes is not necessarily "news".

 

I didn't know there was such a small limit on how much you could buy. I remember stocking up on it not too many years ago when it went on sale in the spring...I have BAD allergies that last into the beginning of summer. I now take Claritin instead so I've never had to sign for it since it moved behind the counter.

I knew they'd moved it and why. I guess I just spaced out on the "legal limit."

 

If (and that's a LONG way from being proved) she is guilty of associating with the meth folks, she should be treated like any other person involved in illegal drug manufacture/distribution.

Right now, she may have exceeded the maximum limit law AND not be associated with the meth rings, which speaks to matters of extenuation and mitigation.

There are three threads (2 morphed into this one, one on discussion bd) that speak of the teacher's involvement, without any further detail. The interpretation that I get from this is that she must be guilty of something.

I would bet serious coin that no media outlet will apologize for getting this our of context, if it proves that way. Furthermore, I wonder how many on this board will extend the same courtesy.

I do not know the circumstance of her arrest. I am told that a teacher for her class has been arranged. It does not appear that she was arrested in front of the students. I would hope that the LEO's could have called her to the office, and escorted her out of the building then.

 

For the record, and you WILL see it in my initial post, I put innocent until proven guilty. My original shock was that they picked her up at the school. And censoring news is a very slippery slope. Lots of people get their name in the paper, etc. without ever being proven guilty. Sucks when it happens to someone innocent, but that's the price we pay for a free society. And, just like anyone else on this board, I am free to post on whatever subject I see fit, as long as it follows Webbie's rules. New is news.

 

I wonder who took the picture that appeared on the website, or more important, who tipped off the photographer that a teacher was going to be arrested at school? If she isn't guilty it will be a nightmare trying to get her reputation back.

 

KD,
I apologize if I wasn't clear that I was speaking to the entire thread, not solely your post. I respect your views and sense of fairness.

I've just seen too many lives turned upside down over things that didn't turn out as first reported. But, the reporter is never around to clarify.

As it is unfolding in the media, there is apparently more to this case than originally reported.

And, after watching the High Sheriff speak, I am of the opinion that the department needs a spokesperson or Departmental Information Officer. And before I get slammed over the Sheriff speaking in the local vernacular, I would point out that he is widely quoted and viewed/heard on TV/radio, in places that may not understand the melodious nature of our speech patterns.

Again, KD, my apologies...

 

Well, if you have really bad allergies and need that much psuedoephedrine(sp) then I guess when you have a month that you dont need any, one should buy a box and stock up anyway. Planning...Just that simple.

Maybe have a family member buy you a box if worse came to worse. If that teacher bought that much it really is a lot of meds to take. I dont know.
I just give my opinions here, no googling and stuff like that. Just a plain ole opinion.