WHITE CO.—The situation reported in the September issue of Disclosure regarding a woman employed at Wabash and Ohio Valley Special Education District (WOVSED) has resulted in a single criminal charge for Kathleen Marie Collins in White County court.
Collins, 36, of Harrisburg, has been charged with Theft in White County after authorities say on Aug. 25, at 800 South Division St., Norris City, (the location of WOVSED) she took 41 tablets of Ritalin from a juvenile.
School had only just begun for kids in the area, so it’s unclear whether this was something the district was keeping an eye on (and possibly surveillance) for an extended period of time, or if it was discovered after a one-time incident.
WOVSED is in the same location as a learning alternative branch school, and a large number of students there are on some kind of behavioral-adjusting medication, most often some form of amphetamine in order to help them focus.
Such medications are controlled substances and must be kept locked up. Ritalin can be sold at a sizable street value to the right parties; or, some people (adults) can often get addicted to them.
Schools these days have strict guidelines as to how such medicine is handled, and locking the pill bottles up in a secure location, as well as keeping a count of the pills on hand, is usually among the precautions taken for them. So how any could be stolen, given all the steps taken to control such things, is difficult to imagine. Whatever the case, Collins was walked off the premises by Norris City authorities on Aug. 28, at which time she was arrested and charged. Charges were not available on deadline of the Sept. 10 issue.
Collins was released from custody Aug. 28, after posting a $150 cash bond.