A Michigan school superintendent was ousted from her position for allegedly getting high with a colleague on school grounds and then driving off in her car – where police found a hunting rifle stashed in the backseat.
Hollie Stange, who headed Fitzgerald Public Schools in Warren, is accused of getting behind the wheel after police spotted her smoking marijuana with the district’s food services director for several minutes in a parked car 1,000 feet from school grounds, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.
Police arrested Stange and Amanda Carroll, both 38, after the pair left in separate vehicles on Dec. 20, and were found allegedly driving “under the influence.”
“This is deeply concerning and violates the trust our community places in these school administrators,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said.
“Driving under the influence and possessing drugs near school grounds is not only unlawful but also puts the safety of our children at risk. As individuals entrusted with the well-being of Macomb County’s children, we will take all necessary legal steps to ensure accountability.”
Police found a rifle wrapped in a blanket in the backseat of Stange’s car, along with a 50-gram bag of marijuana in her purse, WWJ reported.
A 6-year-old was inside Carroll’s vehicle when police pulled her over.
Carroll was also in possession of more than 25 grams of weed, the outlet reported.
Prosecutors believe Stange had the gun in her car while she was on school grounds.
Both women were placed on leave, pending an internal review, on Sunday following a unanimous vote by the Fitzgerald School Board.
“The Fitzgerald Public Schools Board of Education today voted unanimously to place District Superintendent Stange and Amanda Carroll on leave effective immediately pending our internal review and the ongoing criminal investigation,” board president Julia Yokel said in a Facebook post.
“The school district is cooperating with local law enforcement and will continue to do so.”
Stange is charged with possession of marijuana on school grounds, possession of a weapon in a weapon free zone and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, prosecutors said.
Charges against Carroll include possession of marijuana on school grounds, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated second offense and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated with an occupant less than 16 years old.
Both women were arraigned on Dec. 21 in Warren District Court, and their bond was set at $5,000 each.
Both are barred from entering school grounds unless otherwise directed, no uses of alcohol or drugs with random testing twice a week and limited contact with each other, prosecutors said.
Stange is also restricted from using any firearms.
“My client is a dedicated educator and administrator with two decades of services, a mother of two young children herself, and is presumed innocent under the law,” William Barnwell, defense attorney for Stange, told the Detroit Free Press.
“They have to prove she knew the weapon was in the vehicle, they have to prove distance (from school grounds) and they have to prove impairment.”
They will appear in court next on Jan. 2.