A Pennsylvania school crossing guard has been accused of providing marijuana edibles and vapes to middle school students and allegedly smoking weed with a juvenile.
Kiara Lee, 26, was arrested on Tuesday. Lee was charged with two felony counts of drug possession with intent to deliver, two misdemeanor counts of corruption of a minor, and two misdemeanor counts of possession of marijuana, according to court records reviewed by the New York Post. She is being held in the Delaware County jail after not being able to post the $20,000 bail.
Lee is a crossing guard for Penn Wood Middle School in Darby, Pennsylvania. However, she was placed on administrative suspension and banned from the campus after the disturbing accusations surfaced.
On May 16, Penn Wood Middle School Principal Myishing Cox confronted a student and their guardian regarding drugs being used and distributed near school property, according to WCAU.
The student said Lee provided them with vapes and frequently smoked marijuana with the crossing guard, according to officials. The student also claimed that Lee provided vapes to another student on three separate occasions.
A student witness informed school officials that they had seen Lee providing drugs and vapes to at least two students on multiple occasions. A second student witness allegedly confirmed the allegations against Lee.
School officials reported the alleged crimes to the Darby Borough Police Department.
Police officers interviewed the guardian of the student, who allegedly confirmed to investigators that Lee had been giving their child vapes and marijuana edibles.
Law enforcement allegedly discovered text messages between the minor and Lee that confirmed that they had ingested marijuana edibles and discussed their experiences with the drugs.
Darby Borough Chief Joseph Gabe said, “While marijuana may not seem like a big deal to some folks in the community, I think we can all agree that crossing guards should not be providing narcotics – even if it is ‘just’ marijuana — to our kids.”
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer added, “School crossing guards epitomize the role of public servant. They are — quite literally — entrusted with the lives of our children and hold a position of sacred trust in communities across the Commonwealth and the country.”
The Borough of Darby said in a statement released on Wednesday, “The Council of the Borough of Darby is deeply disturbed by the allegations contained in the Affidavit of Probable Cause related to Ms. Kiara Lee. We have placed Ms. Lee on administrative suspension and banned her from our facilities pending the outcome of an internal investigation. We are grateful for the men and women of the Darby Borough Police Department for their hard work in making sure our community is safe.”
The William Penn School District released a statement that read:
The William Penn School District is disheartened that someone employed by the Darby Borough serving our district and community would behave in this reprehensible manner. We thank Police Chief Joseph Gabe and the Darby Police Department as well as District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer and his office for pursuing this case and announcing charges against the suspect. The William Penn School District aims to support our students, and we will work with whoever has been affected and their families to provide assistance at this time. As the suspect is not one of our employees, we will be issuing no further comments.
Lee is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on June 14.
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