The Delaware County District Attorney's Office announced charges have been filed against a crossing guard accused of distributing electronic cigarettes and substances containing suspected marijuana to students at the Penn Wood Middle School.
According to officials, on May 16, Penn Wood Middle School Principal Myishing Cox spoke to a student and their guardian regarding narcotics being used and distributed near the school premises and then reported it to the Darby Borough Police Department.
Officials said the student reported that they had observed a crossing guard - now identified as Kiara Lee, 26 - stationed at the intersection of N. MacDade Blvd and Summit Street providing students with vapes. The student added that they had been with another student on three separate occasions where the crossing guard provided the student with vapes.
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The student receiving the vapes shared with the witness that they frequently smoked marijuana with the crossing guard, according to officials. A second student witness also attested to seeing Lee providing vapes to the student and stated that she had seen the student in possession of marijuana.
Officials said police contacted the guardian of the juvenile believed to be receiving items from Lee, and the guardian confirmed that Lee had been giving their child vapes and marijuana edibles.
In addition, police said text messages between the juvenile and Lee confirmed that they had ingested edibles and shared their experiences over text.
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“I am enormously proud of the officers in my department," Chief Gabe said "Our dedicated team knows that protecting the kids in our community is absolutely central to our mission. While marijuana may not seem like a big deal to some folks in the community, I think we can all agree that crossing guards should not be providing narcotics – even if it is “just” marijuana – to our kids. I also want to thank the staff at the Penn Wood Middle School, particularly Principal Cox, for their assistance with this investigation.”
Lee has been charged with two counts of corruption of minors and two counts of possession of marijuana among other charges.
She was unable to post her $20,000 bail, officials said.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for June 14. There was no attorney listed to represent her yet.
The District Attorney and Chief Gabe request that families with information about Lee, or with concerns about their child’s interactions with her, should contact the Darby Borough Police Department at 610-586-1102.
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