Former Teacher Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges
July 21st, 2010 by Joe BurgessAmy Arrington, a former special education teacher at Monticello Elementary School, plead guilty to attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud, in Drew County Circuit Court, last week.
The charge is described in court documents as fraud – drug paraphernalia.
In exchange for her guilty plea, Arrington will recieve 3 years of probation.
Arrington was released by the school system last December, following her September arrest.
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Posted Dec. 17, 2009
MES Teacher Fired by School Board
The board held a closed hearing for Amy Arrington, MES staff member, to discuss teacher recommendation for termination.
After the session was opened again, board members moved to accept the findings placed before them, and then moved to terminate Arrington’s contract.
Three attorneys and two local witnesses were present for the closed door hearing, and no comments were publicly made about the reason for Arrington’s dismissal.
Arrington had been arrested by the Drug Task Force on September 4, following an investigation that led agents to obtain an arrest warrant for Arrington on the charges of attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud, reportedly in reference to a fraudulent prescription attempting to be passed at local pharmacy.
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People make mistakes,this is a great loss for MES!
We should all have to pay for our mistakes. This is not acceptable behavior when you are in a position of responsibility with children.
I hope she gets the help that she is in need of.
Personally I think she needs more than jail time. It wasnt a Mistake. She chose to do this and probably did more. I think by her losing her job she is made an example! I dont want someone like this teaching my kids or anyone elses kids her bad habits.
Amy is a very sweet person, people make mistakes, if it even happened….Don’t judge others, that’s the Lord’s job!!!!!!!!
she just happened to get caught, if truth be told i wonder how many actually do participate in these activities. oh, but many of the hypocrites point the finger at the “druggies” while steadily popping the “medicine” the doctor gives them. That’s different, that’s their medicine they need it…
I agree that people make mistakes, however I do not believe she should be allowed to remain in a position over our children after these type of charges. What type of example is this setting for our students? There are many other teachers that should also be evaluated for conduct and misbehavior.
Shellie, your right, the Lord will judge us all someday, but the man/woman in that black robe will judge her as well.
Amy has been charged. She has not been found guilty except by some of the public who do not know all of the facts. Being accused does not mean “guilty”.
iv known amy a long time i liked her and i still like her. but i dont think someone with those charges should be able to hold the job she held, i think the school board did the only thing they could under the circumstances. and to be perfectly honest i would not be comfortable as a parent to have my child in her class room. its a sad situation and it proves you need to always be prepared to find out you may not know someone as well as you think. i do wish her the best, hope she turns this around gets the help she needs, and turns this into a positive life changing experience, that will be a true insparation of sucess for others.
I dont know her case..and I’m not judging her. I am speaking for my children and others that deserve better. If shes not guilty then they shouldnt fire her…I guess they made their decision based upon facts and not from her lawyers pull. The fact is my girls are my life and I will protect them from any danger or harm that I possibly can. Its just something that everyone should learn from.
i cant belive that
well yea i can
let’s at least get the facts straight if you are going to print something on the internet. amy , “I” , did NOT plead guilty to anything, i actually pled hold contenderee/ without finding of guilt to the charges. the only thing you did get right, JOE,. is that i did get 3 years of probation but i can be off in 1 year with perfect behavior. i think you must just be a ignorant person that has to color in the truth to make your story sound better.
amy
“When offering anhold contenderee/ without finding of guilt to the charges, a defendant asserts his innocence but admits that sufficient evidence exists to convict him of the offense. The book Plea Bargaining’s Triumph: A History of Plea Bargaining in America published by Stanford University Press defines the plea as one in “which the defendant adheres to her claim of innocence even while allowing that the government has enough evidence to prove her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt”. According to the book Gender, Crime, and Punishment published by Yale University Press, “Under the Alford doctrine, a defendant does not admit guilt but admits that the state has sufficient evidence to find him or her guilty, should the case go to trial.”[4] Webster’s New World Law Dictionary defines Alford plea as: “A guilty plea entered as part of a plea bargain by a criminal defendant who denies committing the crime or who does not actually admit his guilt but knows there is enough evidence for a conviction. In federal courts, such plea may be accepted as long as there is evidence that the defendant is actually guilty.”
When you decide to to put this information on this site I wish you would think of her kids and how embarrassing it is for them. They cannot control what their mother does. Everytime you print an article on this sight, I see her kids get very upset and people in the community act like they are supportive but they are not. Everybody screws up, but I notice certain people with money don’t get put on this sight.
Totally agree with Leigh
I am sorry that her children get upset by these articles, but maybe they should be more upset with their mother, she is after all the one who put them in this situation. As a parent, and especially as a parent in a small town like Monticello, our children have to suffer the consequences of our actions just as much as we do. You must consider that very carefully when doing things… if you don’t want your children to be embarrassed, then maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.
As for her plea, based on the definitions posted, looks like she admitted she was guilty, just without saying so. If the government has enough evidence to convict you without a reasonable doubt, then obviously you did it.
For the person who posted something about people being hypocrits and being the same as an addict when taking medication from the doctor… there is a difference…. A doctor gives you medication for a medical condition, and if you follow his/her instructions, then NO it is not the same. When you LIE and ABUSE your doctor to obtain medications just so that you can take them however and whenever you want, then that is a BIG problem.
I applaud the school board for removing her from our children’s classrooms. There is enough negative influences on our children in the world today as it is, we don’t need someone with a drug problem in a classroom.
I agree with just another nobody. If you don;t want your kids to know what a horrible person you are maybe you should not be that person.
Regardless if you are found guilty, pled guilty, pled no contest and or pled hold contenderee that is all the same in the end. If you get punishment you are GUILTY. Just an easy way to get the case closed without saying guilty and w/o going before a jury! So with 3 years probation even with good behavior you may get put on SIS after 12 months BUT for the remainder of your 36 months you are still on paper just not supervised.
Joe with Monticello Live is doing nothing but reporting news to the citizens of Drew County since the public has the right to hear and know about things going on in our town. Amy is the one that decided to make the decision to do this not the public nor Joe. Also, nobody in their right mind would judge her children by her actions BUT instead of asking the public to not be informed of things going on in Monticello to protect her children, why don’t you ask her was she worried about her children when she decided to break the law?
Everyone makes mistakes but learn from them. I wish Amy the best and hope this opens a new road that she will travel.
This is to “Amy”
What do you think, “pled hold contenderee/ without finding of guilt to the charges” means? They did not have to find you guilty..u accepted your punishment for the crime. Please be on good behavior so you will be off in 1yr!!! And don’t get mad @ what Joe published. He has the right to report the news which is public records. Just like you had the right to say you were not guilty!! The evidence was too much for you, huh!!! It’s no one’s fault but your if your children has to read this!!!
I agree with just another nobody. Amy if you were so concerned about your children, why would you make the type of decisions that you made to be placed on Monticellolive. You knew better for abusing drugs. You must accept your punishment like everyone else. You should have thought about your children first instead of being selfish. As a citizen we should be informed about the news that is occurring in Monticello because you were the one that was teaching our children. Ummm great example for your children and the children that you were teaching. Now thing about what you are teaching our children about drugs.
Was this for the 1st charge? If I remember, this lady got caugt doing the same thing again, before she even went to court!!..And 3yrs probation! I’ve seen other ppl get more punishment for lesser offenses…
Funny how all the bashers on here are hiding behind screen names!!! Put your names on here cowards and let me dig up some dirt on you to tell your children! I can promise you that you do have something in that closet of yours that you are hiding!! No one on this Earth lives a perfect life and the children in this community are struggling everyday with the bullies that they have to face! Just remember…you may not have a grave mistake in your past that you care to share…but your kids may make one. What shall you say then? What will you tell your wonderful innocent grandchildren when they are crying from a mistake that you or your kid made and they have to pay the price for? I honestly don’t care if Amy did it or not…her kids shouldn’t have to pay the price! PEROID! And if you can’t find some sympathy for those children, you are pathetic!! I heard a child say something to Amy’s daughter at a ballgame last Fall about her mother being on monticellolive for drugs. The daughter of a prominet family in Monticello…she had heard it from her parents. Sad and pathetic. Let’s just say I took my stocks and bonds elsewhere…I will never do business with them again. EVER!
“Monticello Resident”…you are the only one on here that actually made sense!! It’s people like you that we need more of around here!! Thanks!!!
Amy, Hold your head up. YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY PERSON IN MONTICELLO, ARKANSAS WHO HAS MADE A MISTAKE. Learn from it and move on.
guilty or temp guilty,YOU STILL got arrested for DRUGS
HUSH
Guilty or temp guilty?? What is “temp guilty”, “OMG”?