Posted on 05/23/2003 3:57:12 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
A Rochester man has been charged with supplying heroin to his wife -- a City School District teacher -- in a Happy Meal lunch package.
Peter Hallinean, 31, of 106 Griffith St. was arrested May 14 and charged with felony criminal sale of a controlled substance on school grounds, third-degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug, a felony, and misdemeanor possession of a hypodermic instrument. Any transfer of illegal drugs on school property is considered a “sale” under state law.
Police were called to School 19 on Seward Street May 8 after Principal Timothy Cliby said he discovered a suspicious package inside a Happy Meal that Hallinean allegedly dropped off at the school’s office for his wife, teacher Correy Hallinean.
Michael Looby, chief counsel for the school district, would not comment on Correy Hallinean. He said the district is investigating an employee’s possible role in the delivery of suspected contraband to school property and will deal with the outcome according to the employee’s labor contract.
The Rochester Teachers Association declined to comment.
Reached at his apartment Thursday, Peter Hallinean declined to comment on his arrest. He said his wife has been suspended.
According to court papers, Assistant Principal Kathleen Wiecorek spotted a foil package inside the Happy Meal on May 8 and called Cliby.
“I removed the foil package from the Happy Meal and opened the foil,” Cliby wrote in a police deposition. “I discovered the contents of the foil to be alcohol swabs, a syringe partially filled with a brown fluid, an oversized rubber band about twenty four inches long -- well used.”
Police determined on May 13 that the substance was heroin and arrested Hallinean on May 14. He was released on $7,500 bail.
Cliby told police that he had suspected Correy Hallinean was using drugs prior to May 8 and had noticed Peter Hallinean delivering packages, City Court records show.
“Over the last eight weeks Mr. Hallinean has been coming to the school to deliver ‘lunch’ to Correy Hallinean. At least Mr. Hallinean said it was lunch,” Cliby wrote in the court document.
“Due to previous behavior and my personal observation, I suspected Correy Hallinean of having a substance abuse problem.”
Peter Hallinean is due back in court on June 5.
I am a school bus driver. Cram 55+ kids in a big yellow box, hyped up by end of year parties and field trips on a 90 degree day. It does make you at least consider drug use. If not for the driver, at least for the little rascals trying to sit still. Summer is almost here! ;~)
(I do love those kids. I am probably the only that does not want summer break to come.)
Really - it's nice to get the drugged teachers out of the school, but it makes one wonder how the principle decided it was OK to open the Happy Meal. This probably trashed the case and the teachers will end up suing and winning instead of going to jail..
The way things work at schools, its hard to define clearly who has what authority. It's good the teacher isn't teaching anymore, it's wierd to think about a smakchead in charge of the classroom, if that is really the case.
I think the Asst. Principal was just plain snooping. If nothing had been in it, would the teacher whose lunch it was have been informed that the Asst. Principal had handled her food? How many lunches have been searched without finding anything? Any sneezing? Did she wash her hands first?
Most importantly, were there objective witnesses to the search? If there was any antipathy between the teacher and the administration, there could be a real problem here. The husband's fingerprints had better be found on the foil and syringe, otherwise all we find is those of the administration members who "suspected a substance abuse problem" for some time.
Could be very fishy.
nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
And yet he -- the principal -- did absolutely nothing about it until he actually discovered that she was having horse for lunch. In the mean time, the kids are stuck in a classroom with a dyfunctional teacher, who would have protected by the union at all costs it the principal had acted upon his hunch.
Happy Meal?
Probably down here applying for a job as I write this!
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