An Arlington elementary school teacher was sentenced to 10 days in jail on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to marijuana possession at his school.
The judge called Luke Lloyd's actions "beyond outrageous" and said having teachers with pot at school "makes an entire mockery of our education system."
The 25-year-old former educator told the judge he was sorry and that he learned a lot from the situation.
“It certainly is not going to happen again. He’s not with the school system and he doesn’t intend to go back to teaching,” Lloyd's lawyer said. “His life as he knew it is over.”
Lloyd and 28-year-old Michael Diaddigo were both gym teachers at Taylor Elementary School when they were charged with possession of marijuana and suspended from the school in December.
Prosecutors dropped the charges against Diaddigo on Tuesday, but other charges against him are pending, which could move his case to a higher court.
Last year, an anonymous source told police that three teachers regularly smoked marijuana and hashish together in the physical education office at the school, according to court documents.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
They smoked before school started and tried to use air freshener to cover the scent, the informant said. A warrant refers to excerpts of two men talking about how not to get caught, including using hand lotion and eye drops.
After receiving that tip, the K-9 unit searched the PE office in late November and found narcotics in two desks. Police also searched Lloyd’s car at the school and found marijuana.
A third teacher was placed on administrative leave at that time, pending the outcome of the investigation.
“As educators, we are obviously shocked and dismayed by this news, and our first concern has been for our students,” a letter from the principal to parents said. “We believe the investigation is only focused on the adults and does not involve any of their interactions with our children.”
Lloyd's sentence is set to start Friday.
