Three students at GHS charged in drug searches
By Amy Condra

The Goochland County Sheriff’s Department credits heightened scrutiny by teachers and sheriff’s deputies for the arrests of three Goochland High School students during three different incidents this week:

On Feb. 18 a 16-year-old male student was discovered by a teacher in a vacant classroom preparing to light a pipe holding what appeared to be marijuana. This evidence was turned over to the School Resource Officer (SRO).

The next day, on Feb. 19, after receiving a tip, high school administrators searched a 17-year-old male student who was found to be in possession of a quantity of pills. The SRO was called in and discovered a significant quantity of cash and 16 Oxycodone tablets. The SRO arrested the student and later transported him to James River Detention Center pending a hearing before the Goochland Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

Finally, on Feb. 20, canine teams from the Department of Corrections and the Goochland Sheriff’s Office conducted a sweep of GHS. During the search deputies uncovered a bag of alleged marijuana and several smoking devices. A 16-year-old male student has been charged.

According to Sheriff James L. Agnew, there are typically 5 or 6 drug-related charges per year at Goochland schools.

However his office has, since the end of 2008, received numerous calls from parents concerned that drug-related problems at GHS were on the rise.

“This substantiates what parents were saying,” he said. 

He added that he is pleased that parents, the schools and the sheriff’s department are working together to address these issues.

Brad Franklin, Research and Information Services Analyst for Goochland County Schools, said the schools have no comment on the charges.

In an interview prior to last week’s events, Franklin said that the goal of school board and school administration is to work with the sheriff’s office to get drugs out of Goochland’s schools.

“Our response is multipronged,” he said, of bringing canine teams into the schools. “We want to get this program into place so students don’t bring drugs to school.”

Students who are caught with during these searches are faced with disciplinary action by school administration and/or legal authorities.

“But our goal is not to incarcerate,” added Franklin. “We have to have the kids’ best interests at heart.”

Franklin said that offenders are treated on a case by case basis, considering factors such as the level of drug use, to determine the best course of action. Children may be referred to treatment through Goochland Powhatan Community Services or a private facility.

In the meantime unannounced drug searches, aided by canine teams, will continue.

“The schools are supposed to be a learning environment,” said Agnew. “And is there anything more antithetical to learning than drug and alcohol abuse?”