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Teacher Jailed On Cocaine Charge

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By VALERIE KALFRIN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 19, 2008

TAMPA - Police charged a Carrollwood Elementary School teacher with felony cocaine possession after finding a small bag of the drug inside a container of mints, authorities said.

Jennifer Shepherd, 32, of Tampa, was released from Orient Road Jail on Friday after posting $4,500 bail, records show.

Shepherd has been an exceptional-education teacher at the school since January, Hillsborough County School District spokeswoman Linda Cobbe said.

She was told not to report to work pending the outcome of her criminal case, Cobbe said. The board's earliest opportunity to suspend her without pay will be May 6.

Shepherd also is charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.

An attempt to reach her by phone was unsuccessful.

Tampa police arrested her about 3:17 a.m. Friday after they responded to a disturbance at 607 S. Westland Ave. in the Hyde Park area, where Shepherd was visiting a friend.

Officers noticed Shepherd sitting on a bar stool with her hands behind her back. Asked what she was hiding, she replied, "Mints," police said.

An officer saw a metal container in the back pocket of Shepherd's jeans. Once Shepherd handed the container to police, they found a baggie of cocaine inside with an Adderall pill and mints, police said.

Adderall is an amphetamine used to treat children and adults who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Shepherd has no prior criminal record in the state, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Jail records list her as a teacher at King High School. Cobbe, however, said employment records show she taught at King High School from 2003 to 2007 and joined the staff at Carrollwood Elementary in January after briefly teaching in Pasco County. Her current annual salary is about $44,300.

Shepherd also taught at Land O' Lakes High School in Pasco County from 1997 to 2003, Cobbe said.

She was not at work Thursday, Cobbe said.

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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