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A Wisconsin elementary school teacher has been arrested for allegedly using cocaine while at work.
Laurie Laubenstein, 58, faces a misdemeanor cocaine possession charge, along with a sentencing enhancement for having an illicit substance at a school, a designated drug-free zone.
Laubenstein taught at Lincoln Elementary School in New London and someone close to her tipped off police to her alleged cocaine use on February 12, according to a criminal complaint obtained by WBAY-TV.
The tipster told a school resource officer that they saw Laubenstein frequently going into the bathroom with her purse.
They also claimed they found bloody tissues and white powder in the bathroom, according to the complaint.
The tipster said they told the school principal, who did not take the issue seriously, according to police.
The day after the tipster raised their concerns to the school resource officer, he visited Laubenstein's classroom and said he found her looking anxious.
He checked the bathroom and found white powder he later took to the New London Police Station. The powder was tested and identified as cocaine.
Laurie Laubenstein, a 58-year-old elementary school teacher in Wisconsin, has been arrested and charged with cocaine possession
The school resource officer came back to her classroom on February 12 with a drug-sniffing dog.
She was discovered to have cocaine in her purse and coat pocket, police said.
When Laubenstein was interviewed by police, she told them she had started using cocaine in August.
She also admitted to police that she used cocaine the day she was searched. She said she used it in the classroom and in the teacher's lounge bathrooms.
Laubenstein said she always cleans up after herself and never intended to put students in danger, according to police.
The school district sent a letter to parents informing them of Laubenstein's arrest, while also stating that their children were never in danger.
According to a criminal complaint, she admitted to police that she used cocaine while at work at Lincoln Elementary School (pictured) in New London
Since it's her first offense, Laubenstein faces a year in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000 if convicted.
Because the alleged possession was on school grounds, the court may decide to impose additional penalties on top of that.
This could include 100 hours of community service.
Laubenstein is scheduled to appear in court on March 17.
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