Houston DA to review teacher drug busts

HOUSTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Houston prosecutors say they will be fair in deciding how to handle drug charges against teachers and school staff busted in a sweep by school district police.

The 15 teachers and other district employees were charged after drug-sniffing dogs were dispatched in December to the employee parking lots at every school in the Houston Independent School District.

The Houston Chronicle said Wednesday that most of the charges involved marijuana stashed in the cars, although some teachers and other employees were charged because of prescription drugs.

A spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office said prosecutors would review each case on its own merits before deciding on formal charges.

"If an officer calls us with a valid charge and probable cause, then we should accept that charge unless there is some extenuating circumstance," said spokesman Norm Uhl. "We don't discriminate based on whether somebody is a teacher or not."

The sweep irked some parents and faculty members who felt the arrests and suspensions were overly Draconian and could needlessly put their jobs in jeopardy.