Juvenile Escapee Recaptured After Pot Arrest

A 15-year-old Sebring High School boy was in the care of the Department of Juvenile Justice on Friday after sheriff's investigators say he was caught in school with marijuana for distribution and then escaped out of the D.A.R.E. van and was recaptured.

According to the arrest report, the student was initially contacted because school resource officer Brian Giguere and Dean Tealy D. Williams Jr., were informed the student may be in possession of cigarettes, the report stated.

Giguere and Williams brought the student back to Williams' office and had the student empty his pockets. School resource officer Veronica Osborne helped go through the items on top of Williams' desk, the report stated.

Among the items were a clear sandwich bag with suspected marijuana, later confirmed to be marijuana, a lighter, a pack of Newport cigarettes, two cell phones and $41.25.

At first the student said the marijuana belonged to another student, whose name he could not remember, who asked him to hold it until the end of the day. Osborne was not buying the story.

She told him she didn't want to hear any more stories.

The student then said he brought the marijuana to school with the intent to sell it. He also said he "fronted" some of the marijuana to another student whose identity was not released in the report.

While taking the student to the jail he escaped out of the back seat window in the area of Palmetto Street. After a short foot pursuit, he was recaptured by Giguere and escorted to the jail with the help of detention deputies, the report stated.