From wire reports
ATHENS - A Clarke Central High School teacher has been arrested on a charge of growing marijuana at his home in eastern Madison County.
Joseph Linwood Prescott-Reynard, 51, was arrested after drug agents found nine marijuana plants in the woods near his home on Georgia 172, between Comer and Bowman.
Agents with the Governor's Task Force on Drug Suppression saw the plants during a fly-over of the area in a helicopter Tuesday afternoon, Madison County sheriff's Capt. Michael Benner said.
Madison deputies and agents with the Piedmont Northern Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad searched Prescott-Reynard's property and found nine plants growing outside and nearly a pound of harvested marijuana drying indoors, Benner said.
The plants had a total street value of about $18,000, he said, and the harvested marijuana might be worth as much as $4,000.
Authorities also found a small amount of cocaine during a search of the home, and seized three shotguns, a revolver and ammunition.
Prescott-Reynard was charged with manufacturing marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of cocaine, Benner said.
He posted a bond of $11,050 Tuesday to get out of the Madison County Jail.
The Clarke County School District placed Prescott-Reynard on paid leave while his case is investigated, said Mike Wooten, the district's spokesman.
The district hired Prescott-Reynard last year as a vocational teacher who familiarized students with possible careers in the health industry, Wooten said.
The teacher claimed he grew his crop for personal use, according to Benner, but school officials will check into the possibility he may have sold marijuana to students or school employees.
"I think naturally when anyone sees that a teacher is charged with crime like this, that's one of your first thoughts, and certainly we will look into that," Wooten said.
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He could have been a horticultural teacher as well as marketing and logistics, right? Sounds like a normal vocational curriculum
"The district hired Prescott-Reynard last year as a vocation teacher who familiarized students with possible careers in the health industry." I hope he wasn't familiarizing the students with possible ways to grow and sell illegal substances. Does anyone ever background check teachers anymore? Or do they just go bad after they start teaching?
In the future...and hopefully not too distant future...people will look back on this ridiculous "CRIME" and wonder how we could have been so stupid to make Marijuana use a 'crime'.