Published: April 03, 2008 11:57 am      

Elk Garden teacher arrested for drugs

ELK GARDEN, W.Va. - A Mineral County teacher was arrested on drug and alcohol-related charges Tuesday evening when West Virginia State Police said they found her and an underage girl sitting in a vehicle at an area known as the Overlook.

According to Cpl. J.L. Clay and Cpl. H.C. Myers of the Keyser Detachment, they were on routine road patrol at approximately 6 p.m. Tuesday when they observed a 2002 white Dodge parked near the intersection of state Route 46 and U.S. Route 50.

The vehicle was parked in a wooded area out of sight of the roadway in a spot that has been the subject of numerous past complaints for drug activity.

Occupants of the vehicle were Sarah Guthrie, 23, of Kitzmiller and a 17-year-old girl, also from Kitzmiller.

As they questioned the two occupants, the officers said they observed alcohol in the vehicle. A subsequent search revealed more alcohol and suspected marijuana on both the suspects.

They were taken into custody for drug and alcohol-related offenses, in addition to giving false information to the officers.

The girl was released to a parent and Guthrie was transported to the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail in Augusta. Guthrie was released Tuesday evening after posting $2,000 bond.

Superintendent of Schools Skip Hackworth confirmed Wednesday that Guthrie is a teacher at Elk Garden School and the incident is being handled "as a personnel matter" within the county.

West Virginia State Police are also continuing to investigate.