Student had pot at OHS

Published 11:50 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

An Opp High School student — who admitted to smoking marijuana before coming to school — was arrested Thursday after Alabama Beverage Control Board agents discovered marijuana, tobacco and prescription pills inside his pickup truck parked on school grounds.

Shelby James Scott, 18, faces charges of possession of a controlled substance, second-degree possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and several tobacco violations.

Lt. Lance Price said agents were asked by school officials to assist in perform a “parking lot detail” along with Andalusia Police Department and Opp Police Department officers and Covington County Sheriff’s Office deputies and their K-9 partners.

“Also inside the truck, we found a beer bong,” Price said. “The truck was equipped with a tool box which was full of empty beer cans.

“(Scott) also made the statement he had smoked a joint before coming to school (Thursday),” he said. “He could have easily have (been involved in a traffic accident with) a student or teacher before school started. That just makes for a dangerous situation.”

Price said agents also performed an unrelated search of the inside of the school and seized a book bag from a juvenile.

“If it’s confirmed that what’s inside it is what we think it is, we’ll definitely be following up with the proper officials,” he said. “We routinely assist officials with vehicle searches on school properties, as well as searches of inside the school just for this purpose.”

Scott, whose specific grade level at OHS is unknown, is currently being held in the Covington County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

OHS Principal Jeff Rhodes declined to comment on the incident.

Price said while the arrest for drugs on school property may be out of the ordinary, the type of search performed on the school grounds was not.

“We routinely perform these searches at the request of school officials and will continue with other schools in the near future,” he said.