A Green Bay School District employee is under arrest following an investigation into missing prescription medication from local elementary schools.
According to Green Bay Police, school district groundskeeper Cameron Drake, 25, of Suamico, currently faces two charges of theft.
Police say Drake was stealing, and using, Adderall--a drug most commonly prescribed for ADHD--which was stored in filing systems within each school along with other student medication.
Police say they were tipped off by the district in late February after pills wound up missing at one school.
"The groundskeeper, Mr. Drake, had access to those schools, and he was able to locate that filing system," says Green Bay Police Capt. Kevin Warych, "which then gave him access to those medications in which he subsequently took."
According to an official statement from school district spokespeople:
“Student safety and well-being are the District’s highest priorities,” stated Director of Communications Lori Blakeslee. “The discovery of missing student medication resulted in immediate action by the District, which included working collaboratively with the Green Bay Police Department as well as implementing District-wide medication audits. The audits were integral to the District and police identifying a suspect. The District will continue to review its protocols regarding medication as well as employee building access as part of its continuous improvement efforts.”
Police say it was the district-wide audits that led to the discovery of eight schools in all with missing meds.
"It was a suspect who decided to make a conscious decision to take this medication, which ultimately affected a child's life, and that's the sad part," says Warych, "that is what's going to... really hit the community right in the face, and say' wow, I can't believe this really occurred.'"
Investigators say they don't yet have a total amount of stolen medication, or affected students.
But they insist that no student was ever in danger.
"[We are] ensuring the safety of every child in every school in the city of Green Bay," says Warych.
Police say Drake is facing two counts of theft, but has not been formally charged yet.
Those charges could also change as the investigation continues.
