A teaching assistant in Rhode Island has been arrested after a small bag of cocaine was allegedly found in a bathroom in the elementary school she works at.
Police responded to Chester W. Barrows Elementary School on Thursday, March 12, around 11 a.m. after they received a report regarding the drugs, according to the police report obtained by Us Weekly.
Upon their arrival, the school’s principal gave officers a clear plastic bag that contained a white powdery substance and a small straw. The principal explained that the school nurse found the bag in the sink in the nurse’s bathroom, which the school department said is “used by both staff and students.”
The substance weighed about 2 grams and tested positive for cocaine, according to police. Authorities also noted that no additional contraband was found in the nurse’s bathroom or office.
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After the substance was found, police spoke to teacher’s assistant Stephanie Cicilline Given because she was the last known adult to have used the bathroom.
Given told police that she used the bathroom around “recess time, 10:15 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. or so,” per the police report. Police also asked if she had seen anything that didn’t belong in the restroom, and she responded by asking the officer if he had found her vape.
The officer then said that a bag of cocaine had been found and Given asked if she needed a lawyer. However, the officer said she hadn’t been accused of anything, and he was only talking to her to learn information about the case.
The police report stated that Given became nervous and repeatedly asked if police had her vape, and she added that she didn’t see anything suspicious in the restroom and said she didn’t know who the bag of cocaine belonged to.
Police also spoke with two other adults who used the restroom earlier that day, and they both said they didn’t see the bag.
Given later returned and told the officers she wanted to tell them something. “I don’t want all these teachers to go through this. What if I said the cocaine was mine? What would happen next?” she asked, per the report.
She went on to state that she wasn’t admitting the cocaine was hers, though said she occasionally used cocaine. However, she added that she had never used it on school property.
Given also said she wanted to help, though was worried about being fired.
“I asked her if the bag she took may have had her cocaine in it and accidentally fell while emptying her bag on the sink to do her makeup in the bathroom. She laughed and said she just doesn’t want to see anyone else get into trouble or be bothered,” an officer wrote in the report. “I asked if the cocaine was hers and she laughed saying she did not say that. I offered to show the picture to see if the cocaine and straw looked like hers and she said no.”
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Given eventually told police she wanted to speak with an attorney, and they continued their conversation at a later time at the Cranston Police headquarters.
Following the conversation, Given was charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of cocaine. She is next scheduled to appear in court on April 21.
It is not currently clear if Given has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following her arrest. The Cranston Police Department told Us Weekly they had no additional details to share.
Cranston Public Schools has since issued a statement acknowledging that officials discovered a “small bag of suspected narcotics.” The school district notified police immediately, as well as the parents of students who use the restroom.
“Cranston Police Department promptly conducted a search of the entire building with trained K-9 dogs and confirmed that no other drugs were found in the building,” the statement read, per 12 News. “The district takes this matter extremely seriously and is fully cooperating with the ongoing police investigation.”
