Prairie Grove Teacher Pleads Not Guilty To Furnishing Alcohol

Prairie Grove High School teacher Melissa Stewart, who has been suspended from her teaching job with pay since Dec. 4, has pleaded not guilty to knowingly furnishing alcohol to a minor, a misdemeanor.

Stewart, 43, of 13185 Rocky Ridge Road, was cited with knowingly furnishing alcohol to a minor Dec. 3 after she admitted to Prairie Grove police that she purchased and provided alcohol to individuals that she knew to be under the age of 21, according to a police report on the charge.

The not guilty plea was faxed Dec. 23 to Prairie Grove District Court from Eldon Cripps, an attorney in Bentonville, according to a court spokeswoman. Stewart was scheduled to appear for arraignment on the charge Jan. 5.

She is scheduled for trial at 1:30 p.m., Feb. 2.

Stewart was placed on suspended leave with pay pending the outcome of an investigation of the charge, according to Allen Williams, superintendent of schools in Prairie Grove.

Williams put School Board members on notice at their December meeting that he possibly would call a special board meeting for Thursday, Jan. 7, to deal with a personnel issue. Williams told board members he probably would not know for sure about calling a special meeting until the day before, Jan. 6.

Williams did not elaborate on the personnel issue at the board meeting, but in an earlier interview in December indicated schools have to follow certain protocols and timelines for situations involving employees.

Monday, Williams said he could not discuss the agenda for a special meeting other than to say it would be for personnel reasons.

He confirmed that Stewart is still a school employee who is on suspension with pay pending an investigation. He said he would not know if he would call a special meeting until after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday

According to the police report, the investigation into Stewart was initiated when a concerned parent called claiming that Stewart had engaged in drinking alcohol with minors at an apartment on West Thurman Street in Prairie Grove.

Police interviewed four minors under the age of 21, three former high school students and one current student. According to the minors, Stewart came to the apartment, began drinking alcohol with the minors and then left to purchase more alcohol. She returned to the apartment with the purchased alcohol and continued to drink with the minors, according to the police narrative.

In an interview with police, Stewart admitted she went to an apartment on West Thurman Street on Oct. 31, 2015, and admitted to purchasing and providing alcohol to individuals she knew to be under the age of 21. During the interview with police, Stewart also admitted that she was aware in the past that under-age individuals had consumed alcohol at her residence, located outside the city limits, according to the report.

In the police narrative, it was reported that Stewart was cited for the misdemeanor based on statements by the four minors and her admission.