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Drug Sting in School Cafeteria

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

April 11, 2006 -- In Montgomery County, a story that started with a cell phone ended with the arrest of several high school students on drug charges. The drug charges came after a teacher noticed something about the text messages students were sending and receiving in class.

Text messaging is against the rules during school hours at North Penn High School and breaking that rule led to a drug arrest in the school cafeteria. Cell phones used during school hours here are confiscated and returned at the end of the day.

So when a teacher reportedly saw a senior boy text messaging last week, she took the phone. A security person at the school saw text messages on the phone that allegedly appeared to be setting up drug sales at the school. Police set up a lunch room sting via one of the 16 publicly placed video cameras and trained it on Ebere Onu.

"He was seen engaging in a hand-to-hand drug transaction. They stopped him, and he had bags of marijuana down his pants."

The 19-year-old was arrested and charged with selling drugs. The alleged buyer, an 18-year-old senior, Joseph Anderson, was also arrested.

While most do not condone drug sales or use, many question whether it was right to read the text messages in the first place. "The teacher shouldn't have read the messages at all." "It's a student's cell phone. They wouldn't want us reading their text messages. " "I don't think the teachers have a right to look at kids' text messages. I know you are not to have them in school, but it's still private property."School officials contend their responsibility to protect students is far reaching in their role as parent during school hours.

"A parent can look at a son or daughter's phone and we should do the same thing. If they are not doing anything they shouldn't be doing, it wouldn't be a problem."

Officials hope it is a wake up call for parents to monitor their children's use of technology and hope it is a deterrent for students.

Both arrested have been suspended. Onu is being held on 50,000 cash bail and facing a felony that could be up to five years in prison. There could be more arrests as officials continue to follow the text messaging trail.

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