Pubdate: Sat, 26 Feb 2005
Source: Valencia County News-Bulletin (NM)
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Copyright: 2005 The News-Bulletin
Author: Haley Wachdorf
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

BMS TEACHER CHARGED WITH CONTRIBUTING TO DELINQUENCY OF A MINOR

Belen -- A Belen Middle School teacher was arrested on Wednesday on one 
count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after accusations 
surfaced that he allegedly told a parent he was helping students hide drugs 
before scheduled searches by police.

Tony J. Salas, 56, has taught social studies at the middle school since 
August of 2000, district officials said on Thursday. He was placed on paid 
administrative leave on Thursday, Feb. 17, after school officials received 
a complaint from a parent who alleged that Salas told her during a 
parent-teacher conference that he helped her son hide a marijuana pipe in 
the bed of his truck before police brought in a dog trained to detect the 
presence of drugs.

Salas, reached at his home Friday, said he had no comment. Belen Police 
Department Detective Ben Sanchez said Friday that Salas has denied the 
allegations.

According to a criminal complaint filed by Sanchez in magistrate court in 
Belen, the parent scheduled a parent-teacher conference with Salas in 
January to discuss her son's failing grades. The parent told police and 
school officials that she was concerned because she knew her son had 
experimented with marijuana before, and although she had done her best to 
stop him, she was afraid his poor grades might be a sign he was still using 
drugs.

The parent said she was anxious to meet Salas because her son said he was 
"cool" and he was his favorite teacher.

At the conference, the parent alleges in the complaint, Salas first told 
her that her son was failing because he was arriving to class late and 
unprepared. Then, according to the parent, the conference took an 
unexpected turn.

The parent reported that Salas said her son and his friends occasionally 
asked him in class whether he (Salas) had ever smoked marijuana. According 
to allegations in court documents, Salas told the mother that he told his 
students: "I grew up in the 1970s. What do you think?" The report further 
alleges that Salas went on to tell the mother that "I know when the dogs 
come in."

The parent claims that Salas then told her that, on one occasion, he had 
pulled her son out of class, advised him that the drug dogs were coming to 
search the school and told the student to hide a marijuana pipe in the bed 
of Salas' truck. The complaint also alleges that the teacher told the 
parent that he had "helped" one other student by taking a bag of marijuana 
from her, turning it in to the office and saying he found it on the campus 
so she would not get into trouble.

The parent told police and school officials that when she confronted her 
son, he told her the same story, and she decided to report what Salas had 
allegedly said because she thought it set a bad example for students.

"(The mother) said she only reported this incident because she felt that 
there may be other parents that are trying to dissuade their children from 
using drugs and losing the battle because Tony Salas, a person of 
authority, is contributing to the delinquency of minors instead of scolding 
them and taking the appropriate action to stop drug use in schools," the 
complaint alleges.

Belen Police Detective James Harris, the department's canine handler, said 
that he has taken the drug-sniffing dog to the middle school for 
facility-wide sweeps twice this year. Sanchez said officers also respond to 
individual reports of possible narcotics violations at the school.

After learning of the parents' concerns, school officials placed Salas on 
paid administrative leave and began randomly interviewing students in 
Salas' fourth-period social studies class.

According to the complaint, several of the students who were interviewed 
said that Salas had told the entire class that "if the dogs come, the 
students could give their drugs to him and get them back later so they will 
not get in any trouble."

Sanchez was asked to sit in on the student interviews by the school district.

BMS Principal Aubrey Tucker sent students home with a letter on Thursday 
telling parents that the school had been investigating allegations against 
a staff member, but the letter did not provide specifics about the case.

"Belen Middle School and Belen Consolidated School District are committed 
to the safety and protection of all children," Tucker said in the letter.

Tucker also encouraged parents to contact him if they had questions and 
said that the school has made arrangements for Salas' students to continue 
in their social studies classes.

On Thursday, outgoing Belen Superintendent Don Duran said that he could not 
comment because the issue falls under personnel concerns, but confirmed 
that Salas was still on paid administrative leave pending an investigation 
by the school.

Officials at magistrate court in Belen said that Salas, who was arrested on 
Wednesday afternoon at his home in Bosque, posted a $10,000 cash-only bond 
and was released from the Belen Police Department. An arraignment hearing 
is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 8, before Magistrate Danny Hawkes.

Contributing to the delinquency of a minor is a fourth-degree felony and 
carries a possible sentence of a $5,000 fine or up to 18 months in prison.
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