BY DARRELL HALEN

While his teacher was circulating through a classroom, a 15-year-old Pelham High School student allegedly crushed a small rock of cocaine on his desk, used a credit card to draw a line of it  and snorted it.

That’s the account some students in that classroom reported to the school’s administration, according to Principal Dorothy Mohr.

The alleged incident – which Mohr was told happened quickly – occurred during the last class on Wednesday, Jan. 24. When administrators were told about it, the boy had already left school for the day.

Mohr said she and Assistant Principal Jim Wilhelm brought the student into Wilhelm’s office the following day. After searching him, administrators found several small plastic bags on him, Mohr said.

Most were clean but one had what appeared to be cocaine residue and a paper used to crush it.

Police were notified and after Officer Eugene Stahl arrived, the student admitted the residue was cocaine and that he had used it the previous day, Mohr said.

The student was arrested, released to his family and will be arraigned in juvenile court, according to police. Because he is a juvenile, his name is not being released.

Police want to know where the student got the cocaine, and if that source is supplying it to other teens, said Capt. Joseph Roark.

“We do have an open investigation and we’re following some leads,” Roark said.

Mohr said the school will have drug awareness seminars for students, probably in mid-February.

She said police will probably also talk to faculty members and explain to them how they may be able to detect if a student is under the influence of drugs.

Mohr said drugs won’t be tolerated in the school.