LA PLATA — School administrators at five Charles County public schools took vaping devices, THC gummies and a set of brass knuckles from students in six separate incidents between Oct. 26 and Oct. 29, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.
The students ranged in age from 12 to 18 and attended one middle school and four high schools. The sheriff’s office said the cannabis products it recovered tested positive for THC. Students caught with cannabis items were issued citations and face discipline under the Charles County Public Schools Code of Student Conduct, while the 18-year-old will be charged criminally at a later date.
The cluster of cases, most of them on a single Monday, comes two weeks after a Thomas Stone High School student was charged after more than 30 THC vapes were found, and it adds to a steady stream of cannabis cases turning up in county classrooms.
Four days, five schools
According to the sheriff’s office:
- Oct. 26, Westlake High School: Administrators found two 17-year-old students, in separate incidents, with THC vaping devices.
- Oct. 26, La Plata High School: An administrator found an 18-year-old student with a set of brass knuckles.
- Oct. 26, North Point High School: Administrators learned a 17-year-old student had cannabis and found a sandwich bag holding six THC gummies.
- Oct. 28, Mattawoman Middle School: A 12-year-old was seen using a vape device during class, and an administrator took the device.
- Oct. 29, Thomas Stone High School: An administrator found a 14-year-old with a vaping device in class and recovered it.
The release called the Westlake devices THC vapes. It did not say whether the devices taken at Mattawoman and Thomas Stone contained THC or nicotine, beyond its statement that the cannabis products recovered tested positive.
Citations for most, a charge for one
Maryland’s cannabis law treats possession by anyone under 21 as a civil matter rather than a crime, which is why the students in the cannabis cases received citations instead of criminal charges. Their consequences at school come under the CCPS Code of Student Conduct.
The brass knuckles case is different. The student is 18, an adult under state law, and Maryland lists brass knuckles among the weapons it bars from school grounds. Under Criminal Law Section 4-102, carrying a deadly weapon on public school property is a misdemeanor punishable by up to three years in prison, a $1,000 fine or both. The sheriff’s office did not say what charge it plans to file or when. Any charge would be an allegation, and the student would be presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The sheriff’s office urged parents to talk with their children about the dangers of vaping and cannabis products, including the risk that products may contain unknown or harmful ingredients.
Tips about crimes in Charles County can be sent anonymously to Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS or charlescountycrimesolvers.com, which offers rewards of up to $1,000.
