Claire Reid
A school cafeteria worker has been arrested and charged after allegedly selling homemade cannabis edibles to students.
Temporary employee Tymetrica Cohn, 45, was removed from Sumner High School, in Louisiana, on Friday (January 20) and taken into custody at the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Tangipahoa Parish School Superintendent Melissa Stille said in a statement that school officials had been informed by a student of a ‘possible threat involving a substitute cafeteria worker allegedly selling a homemade baked good laced with marijuana also known as edibles’.
The matter was reported through the Crime Stoppers of Tangipahoa P3 app, an online tool utilized to anonymously report safety threats.
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Stilley said: “The safety of our students is of the utmost importance to our school system.
“I want to commend this student who saw something and used the P3 app to bring this threat to the attention of our school officials and law enforcement.”
The statement goes on: “Stilley said the TPSO worked quickly to respond to the case. That investigation is ongoing; however, a suspect was taken off campus by law enforcement prior to the dismissal of classes today.
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“Stilley said the individual identified in this investigation is not a Tangipahoa Parish School System employee. She described the suspect as a substitute worker, hired by ESS, a staffing service used to place substitute employees in schools.”
The worker, who was later identified as Cohn, has been charged with one of possession/distribution of a controlled dangerous substance and one count of distribution of a controlled dangerous substance in a drug-free zone.
In a statement, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said: “Forty-five year-old Tymetrica Cohn of Kentwood, LA, was arrested today on narcotics charges following a Crime Stoppers tip claiming she was selling drugs to a student, says Chief Jimmy Travis.
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“Earlier this week, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office received an anonymous tip that a student purchased ‘edible Marijuana’ from a school employee. TPSO Narcotics agents began investigating the complaint and soon identified Cohn as the suspect.
“While Cohn was not an employee of the Tangipahoa Parish School System, she was working as a substitute cafeteria worker at Sumner High School at the time of her arrest.”
Travis also stressed the importance of the app to report suspected crimes, adding: "The safety and well-being of our students are paramount. We encourage using the 33 app to report anything they feel threatens their ability to learn in a safe environment.”