Investigation in alcohol-for-Ritalin School Incident

As seen in the Albany Democrat Herald

An incident involving a teacher’s aide who allegedly made an alcohol-for-Ritalin trade with a high school student has not yet resulted in charges.

Eric Hsu of the Linn County District Attorney’s Office said the incident has been sent back to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation.

“That has gone backwards instead of forwards,” Hsu said. “It looks like it will be longer now than we anticipated.”

The incident allegedly took place Sept. 14 on the campus of Sand Ridge Charter School.

According to the sheriff’s office, a 17-year-old junior came home intoxicated that day and told his mother a teacher’s aide had given him a fifth of Jack Daniels whiskey in exchange for 10 tablets of Ritalin.

The mother contacted Sand Ridge officials, who turned the information over to deputies.

Kelli Dixon, 35, of Sweet Home was arrested Sept. 15 on charges of furnishing alcohol to a minor, a misdemeanor. Sgt. Jim Yon said the sheriff’s office wanted the district attorney’s office to drop that charge in favor of a charge of delivery of a controlled substance, a felony.

“I think they’ve dropped everything at this point,” he said.

He said the sheriff’s office initially charged the student involved with delivery of a controlled substance and delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, but the district attorney’s office dropped both charges.

Yon said the sheriff’s office still believes initial information about the incident is correct. However, he said, investigators do want to conduct further interviews, which may add to or change charges in the case.

“We need to try to track one more person down,” he said.

Both Dixon and the family of the boy declined to comment on the incident.