Records: School leader had cocaine on campus

An elementary school assistant principal was arrested Tuesday in Baytown and charged with felony drug possession after being accused of bringing cocaine onto school grounds, according to court records.

Jessica Sanchez, 40, of Houston, was charged with possession of a controlled substance in a drug-free zone, according to Harris County court records. Sanchez is an assistant principal at William B. Travis Elementary School in Baytown, and has worked for Goose Creek CISD more than 5 years, according to court records.

Sanchez is accused of possessing less than 1 gram of cocaine on school property, dropping cocaine in a school bathroom and also having drugs in her vehicle, according to charging documents.

Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District officials said in a statement that the drugs were found in the school by a staff member, who alerted the district police department. The drugs were found in an employee bathroom, which wasn’t accessible to students, according to the district.

The district said it planned to “move forward swiftly to end the staff member’s employment.”

Sanchez was released on $5,000 bond Wednesday. Her next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday.

Possession of less than a gram of a Penalty Group 1 drug, like cocaine, is typically punishable by up to two years in a state jail, if a person is convicted. When drugs are found in a drug-free zone, like a school, the punishment is enhanced to a third-degree felony, which is punishable by up to 10 years in state prison under Texas law.