Arrested with methamphetamine in the classroom. Sentenced (sorta.)
ARRESTED Nov 11, 2006 - Already under indictment on drug charges, Joanna Chavez, 38, former Valencia Elementary teacher, was arrested last week and "charged with similar crimes."
Chavez was indicted earlier this year (March 2006) after sheriff's deputies found her in the school with what they charged as several bags of methamphetamine in her purse. ** Chavez was fired after the March incident.
GUILTY PLEA June 8, 2007 - A week before her trial was to start, Chavez pleaded guilty to guilty to two felonies - one felony count of possession of meth with intent to distribute and to a felony count of possession of a controlled substance.
She was arrested again November 2006 at a car wash in Los Lunas after police found that she was carrying two baggies of meth. The Valencia County deputy district attorney said the state has taken away her teaching certification.
No date for sentencing.
** They also found a digital scale, several butane lighters, a personal checkbook and a ledger of moneys. (Source: Valencia News Bulletin, June 9, 2007)
SENTENCED Oct 3, 2007 - Chavez was sentenced to 18 months in prison, despite the prosecutor's recommendation of four and a half years. The prison sentence will be followed by three years probation. She will also have to serve 100 hours of community service.
(TT - Like who wants a drug addict to serve in the community?? This is a retro-1960s touchy-feely concept that is just plain stupid.)
Before handing down his sentence, Judge Pope said he brings personal experiences to the bench and knows that addiction is a difficult problem to overcome.TT - Thank you for that wisdom. /sarcasm off
He told Chavez that he commends her for how she's overcoming her problems.
"I don't know for sure if she was selling out of her classroom or not, but she was definitely in possession of a large amount of meth in the classroom," Pope said. "It was late at night, and the risk of contamination in the classroom is, even with an addiction, is something I don't understand. I just don't know how you could do that."
Oct 17 - The judge has given Chavez another two weeks to turn herself in to serve her time. She requested the time to keep a doctor's appointment and a parent-teacher conference for her daughter. She requested a delay until Nov 1.
Chavez was also having difficulty finding after-school child care for her daughter. The judge gave her until Oct 26.
Chavez was immediately terminated from Los Lunas schools after her first arrest and the New Mexico Department of Education has since taken away her teaching certification
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