CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — A Chesterfield County teacher charged with bringing meth to Hopkins Elementary School has bonded out of jail. Court documents have revealed what happened in the moments leading up to 47-year-old Mary Horton's arrest.
"I responded to Hopkins Elementary for a report of a teacher with drugs on the property. I spoke with the school safety officer, who told me that a special needs student was found with plastic baggies with suspected narcotics inside," the arresting officer wrote in Horton's arrest warrant. "The student discovered the drugs in a bag belonging to her teacher, Mary Horton. I opened the small zipper bag that was recovered from Horton‘s backpack and found two baggies and a scut straw inside. One baggie contained white powder, consistent with cocaine and the other had a crystal-like substance consistent with methamphetamine."
The officer said Horton initially denied any knowledge of the drugs.
"I explained to her that the bag was found with her wallet and backpack in the classroom, and that one of her non-verbal autistic students had opened the bag, removed the baggies, and possibly being exposed to the drugs," the officer wrote. "I also told her that she was going to be drug tested by the school board and asked if she would test positive for cocaine or methamphetamine. She said that she would."
The officer said the teacher then began to cry and said she believed the drugs belonged to someone in her family who she said had a drug problem. She added she did not think she had a drug problem.
Horton, who was charged with felony child neglect and two counts of possession of a controlled substance on school property, is due back in court in September.
The Hopkins Elementary School principal sent the following message to parents:
“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.”
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
