EVANSVILLE, IN – A former teacher from Evansville was apprehended and charged with methamphetamine possession following the discovery of the drug in her hair accessory during a school function. Sarah Duncan, 35, from Mount Vernon, was present at a Family Fun Night at Helfrich Park Stem Academy on September 12, as reported by the local police.
Duncan was photographed with two young volunteers at the event, during which she let her hair down. A blue velvet scrunchie with a white zipper was found on a table by the young volunteers while they were tidying up. The scrunchie reportedly contained a glass vial and a white powdery substance that was suspected to be drugs. School janitors reported seeing Duncan in a frantic search for a hair tie, according to an affidavit.
The suspicious scrunchie and its contents were taken to the Evansville Police Department. A field test confirmed the white substance to be methamphetamine. On September 14, Duncan was taken to a hospital for a drug urine screen. Duncan provided two urine samples, neither of which were sufficient or at the correct temperature for testing. During a third attempt, an unauthorized container fell from Duncan’s shorts, leading to the termination of the test and documentation of the attempt to manipulate the test.
Sources revealed that Duncan was a teacher at Helfrich Park Stem Academy. Following the incident and the failed drug test, Duncan was dismissed from her job. Duncan admitted to removing her scrunchie for the photo but denied leaving it on the table. She also admitted to owning a scrunchie with a zipper pouch, but claimed it was not the one she wore to the event. Duncan stated that she had approached the school janitor in search of a scrunchie she believed her daughter had lost.
Duncan was seen wearing a blue velvet scrunchie in a photograph taken at the event. When questioned about the drug test, Duncan claimed ignorance as to why her urine samples were not suitable for testing and denied knowledge of the container in her shorts. She also denied knowing how or when the pouch got into her shorts, suggesting that another similar pouch might be at her home, purchased by an acquaintance who might use them to pass drug tests.
Duncan was arrested and was also charged with possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia. She was booked into the Vanderburgh County Confinement Center on Wednesday.