Allison Ross, @allisonSross

The Courier-Journal

A Southern Indiana elementary teacher was arrested Thursday at school, and authorities said she had drugs with her at the time of her arrest.

Laura Nowling, 47, a teacher at Austin Elementary in Scott County, was booked into the Scott County Jail on charges of possession of meth, possession of a controlled substance, maintaining a common nuisance and possession of marijuana.

Nowling has been an employee with the Scott County School District 1 for more than a decade, the district said Thursday.

Sgt. Jerry Goodin with the Indiana State Police said no students were present at the time of Nowling's arrest, and he said the school district cooperated with the investigation. He said authorities had earlier searched Nowling's home and had found drugs, including Oxycontin, Hydrocodone and marijuana. He said two people were arrested at Nowling's home: Harold Kemp, 42, and Zackie White, 31, whom Goodin described as friends or acquaintances of Nowling.

Goodin said police then went to Nowling's work after learning she was possibly in possession of a controlled substance.

"We're hammering a lot of drug dealers and drug users in this county the last four or five months," Goodin said Thursday.

He said Thursday's arrest was fairly routine.

Reporter Allison Ross can be reached at (502) 582-4241. Follow the Courier-Journal's education team at Facebook.com/SchooledCJ.

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