Crossing Guard in Pennsylvania Accused Of Giving Edibles, E-Cigarettes To Middle School Students

Kiara Lee, 26, was arrested and charged in Darby, Pennsylvania.

A school crossing guard in Pennsylvania allegedly gave middle school kids way more than permission to enter the crosswalk.

According to NBC 10 Philadelphia, 26-year-old Kiara Lee was arrested and charged with two counts of corruption of minors and two counts of possession of marijuana, as well as other charges, on June 4.

Police in Darby Borough, Pennsylvania, located about seven miles outside of Philadelphia, claim she gave the children electronic cigarettes and marijuana edibles while working at Penn Wood Middle School.

“I am enormously proud of the officers in my department,” Chief Joseph J. Gabe of the Darby Borough Police Department 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.”

Authorities said on May 16, Myishing Cox, Penn Wood’s principal, spoke to a student and their guardian about narcotics being used and distributed near the school. It was then reported to the Darby Borough Police Department. The student reported they witnessed Lee giving students vapes, and they had been with another student on three other instances where they saw the crossing guard giving that student vapes.

The student who received the vapes told investigators they smoked often with Lee. Another student confirmed that they also saw Lee giving vapes to students, which another student also confirmed to officials. That’s when police contacted the guardian of the student, who confirmed the child had been receiving the vapes and edibles from Lee.

Police also saw text messages between the student and Lee confirming that they had taken the edibles and talked about the experience via text.

Lee, who has not posted a $20,000 bail and remains in jail, has a preliminary hearing slated for June 14.