5 High School Students Arrested in Suprise Raid

[AmsterdamdreamN]

5 High School Students Arrested in Suprise Raid
By Frances Kuo

(ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky., January 21st, 2004, 6 p.m.) -- Police staged a surprise drug raid at Elizabethtown High School and now five students face criminal charges and expulsion. The search by Kentucky State Police was a surprise to students, but was planned by school principal Ruth Sorace. WAVE 3's Frances Kuo has the details.

The surprise drug raid was a month in the making, and the first time Elizabethtown High School had seen anything like it. "There was a lot of tenseness with most of our students," Sorace said. "It's the first time we had done anything that big."

Early Friday morning, January 16, Sorace called the school's 700 students to the gymnasium. They thought they were in for a routine meeting, but they were in for a shock. State troopers were on-hand with drug-sniffing dogs.

"I explained to them that the canine units were in the building, and the reason our school system had made the decision to do that was that we wanted to make our hallways and our classrooms as drug-free as we possibly could."

While the student body was gathered in the gym, five troopers and their canine units were searching for drugs in classrooms, lockers cars in the parking lot.

E-town Senior Mary Katherine Rigby says students were stunned. "You could tell on some of the people's faces, there was panic.

After the two-hour search, two seniors and three underclassmen were arrested for drug possession. Some drugs were found in cars while other contraband had been tossed in trash cans. "A couple of students in the gymnasium, when they knew what was happening, tried to get rid of something," Sorace says.

Sorace says reaction from parents has been positive. Reaction from students has been mixed. "There were a few students who were angry, because maybe a friend had been caught," Sorace says.

Rigby says she wasn't upset about the raid. "I think people have become more aware of how serious these drugs can be, and how more involved kids are and bringing it into school, and how the age just keeps getting younger and younger."

Senior Shannon Smith says "I'm glad it's been done."

On Monday, the school board will decide whether or not the students should be expelled.

While this type of search was a first for Elizabethtown High, Kentucky State Police say such searches are common. They're typically done at high schools, but they've had some requests to search middle schools.

Online Reporter: Frances Kuo

Online Producer: Michael Dever

[billy dempsey]

ahh i hate those things, but there real dumb about it at my school, like 5 mins be4 they lockdown theyl be on the intercom telling someone they have an emergency phone call...but its always the same name and the person doesnt even work at the school, just in the school system...so alot of peopl eknow when its coming, and the rest just keep there shit in there pockets rpolly

[thccrystals]

More fucking bullshit. Kick them out of school??? Good idea, let them think they don't need any more education. Fucking morons. Searching peoples shit without search warrants is whack. I mean maybe lockers and inside school cause it's technically their property, but the students cars? They have no right to do that.

[overgrowray]

at my school they only check cars and lockers with dogs, they don't bring dogs around any students. so everyone just keeps their shit on them. but to drive to school, you have to get a parking permit or they will tow your car. and everyone who has parking permits have chances of random drug testing. i won't drive to school, because everyone in charge hates me, they already busted me with a bowl in 8th grade. so if i get a parking permit i'd probably get a "random" drug test. then they would kick me out of school. i won't risk it.

[shagra]

fuckin garbage, i tell ya

[Doodsmack]

can anyone say police state?

[ninety]

is it true if you keep it on you like in your pockets instead of your locker or car then you can't get caught even if the dogs smell it because of something that says they can't search individuals or let the dogs in the classrooms, i heard this from one of my teachers

[SuperFunk#2]

Originally Posted by ninety

is it true if you keep it on you like in your pockets instead of your locker or car then you can't get caught even if the dogs smell it because of something that says they can't search individuals or let the dogs in the classrooms, i heard this from one of my teachers

if they wanna find anything they will

[hoast]

I bet the kids with rolls in their lockers shit their pants.

[naughtyneighbor]

what a cock sucking principle

sure, if they were looking for crack n meth it wouldn't be as disturbing

[TomSavage]

i hate situations like this, i went to high school in southern indiana and a friend of mine was pulled out to the parking lot because the dogs were reacting to his car and when he opened it he was charged with having....and i kid you not, MARIJUANA RESIDUE PARTICLES stuck in his floor mat, in all actuality....it was a spec of dirt or something.

edit* Everyone that still goes there tells me that in order to participate in any extra curricular activities or even to just drive to school they have to be randomly drug tested

[rumandromanism]

Once kids find out that there's a raid going on, they should start a riot.

[sh4d0ws]

Fucking pathetic.

How far are they going to go? like jesus christ

[Bliz-NATI]

in all actuality, school isnt the place to be bringing drugs in the first place. its sad that they surpise searched, but it happens at highschools around here OFTEN.

[stew12]

What you people don't understand is that the police dont care about the weed and how harmless it is. It is an illegal drug, and they have to enforce that. school was a great place to bring weed, it was always the best place to buy weed, and potsmokers smoked in the smoking sectin daily. This was all until the first dog search in 10 years, i had weed on me and the dogs didn't notice.