Lawyers, you got to love em.
"They've really just charged him with using a drug on school property," the lawyer said. "There's no indication that he's given drugs to children or anyone else. He's not a danger to the community, but they've really gone for the gusto on this."
ARRAIGNMENT Jan 21, 2008 - Mario A. Toro, 43, an assistant principal at Gruening Middle School, pleaded not guilty at his arr
aignment Thursday to three felony cou
nts of misconduct involving a controlled substance.
School district employees attending an administrative training session Tuesday at Wendler Middle School said Toro acted erratically. He made a trip to his car and returned with white powder on his nose, police Lt. Paul Honeman said.Toro is on paid administrative leave.
When police arrived, Toro refused a voluntary search of his car and a bag, Honeman said. Police obtained a search warrant and found cocaine residue in the car, Honeman said.
A search warrant executed Thursday on Toro's office at Gruening [Middle School] turned up more cocaine residue and drug paraphernalia, according to an arrest warrant.
Toro was in charge of student discipline.
Gruening principal jailed on narcotics charges
FIRED Jan 30, 2008 - Toro was fired by the school board. The last high-profile educator to be terminated for drug use in Anchorage was Centivon "Maurice" Ballard, 37, a math teacher at Clark Middle School, who was fired in 2004 after being convicted for drug possession outside school.
District officials initially placed him on leave, thinking he could be rehabilitated, but an intense public outcry precipitated the decision to fire him.
