A Michigan school superintendent was fired from her position after reportedly using drugs with a coworker on school property and then drove away in her car, where cops found a hunting rifle stored in the backseat.
Hollie Stange, the superintendent of Fitzgerald Public Schools in Warren, drove her car after being seen by police smoking marijuana with the district's food services director. The two were sitting in a parked car 1,000 feet from school grounds for several minutes, the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office said. Police arrested Stange and Amanda Carroll, both 38, after they drove off in separate vehicles on December 20, and were suspected of driving "under the influence."
Setting a Bad Example
"This is deeply concerning and violates the trust our community places in these school administrators," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said.
"Driving under the influence and possessing drugs near school grounds is not only unlawful but also puts the safety of our children at risk. As individuals entrusted with the well-being of Macomb County's children, we will take all necessary legal steps to ensure accountability."
According to WWJ, police found a rifle wrapped in a blanket in the backseat of Stange's car, along with a 50-gram bag of marijuana inside her purse.
Meanwhile, a 6-year-old child was in Carroll's vehicle when officers pulled her over. Carroll was also found carrying more than 25 grams of marijuana, the report said.
Prosecutors suspect that Stange had the firearm in her vehicle while she was on school property.
On Sunday, both women were placed on leave following a unanimous decision by the Fitzgerald School Board, pending an internal investigation.
"The Fitzgerald Public Schools Board of Education today voted unanimously to place District Superintendent Stange and Amanda Carroll on leave effective immediately pending our internal review and the ongoing criminal investigation," board president Julia Yokel said in a Facebook post.
"The school district is cooperating with local law enforcement and will continue to do so."
Punished for Their Desperate Moves
Prosecutors said that Stange faces charges for possessing marijuana on school property, having a weapon in a designated weapon-free zone, and driving under the influence. Carroll is charged with possessing marijuana on school grounds, driving under the influence for a second time, and driving under the influence with a passenger under 16 years old.
Both women were arraigned in Warren District Court on December 21, with their bonds set at $5,000 each.
Both women are barred from accessing school property unless specifically authorized, prosecutors said. They must also refrain from using alcohol or drugs and are subject to random testing twice a week, with their interactions with each other strictly limited.
Stange is also banned from using any firearms.
"My client is a dedicated educator and administrator with two decades of services, a mother of two young children herself, and is presumed innocent under the law," William Barnwell, defense attorney for Stange, told the Detroit Free Press.
"They have to prove she knew the weapon was in the vehicle, they have to prove distance (from school grounds) and they have to prove impairment."
