Ross principal found with drugs, passed-out woman, police say

Thomas Price, 54, was arrested at a Rancho Cordova hotel on Friday, Oct. 3, 2014, after deputies said they found him in a room there with an unresponsive woman and large quantities of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Price is the principal of Branson High School in Ross. less Thomas Price, 54, was arrested at a Rancho Cordova hotel on Friday, Oct. 3, 2014, after deputies said they found him in a room there with an unresponsive woman and large quantities of heroin, cocaine and ... more Photo: Sacramento County Sheriff Photo: Sacramento County Sheriff Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Ross principal found with drugs, passed-out woman, police say 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The principal of a private Marin County high school was arrested Friday evening after he was found in a Sacramento County motel room with large quantities of drugs and a passed-out woman roughly 30 years younger than him, officials said.

Thomas Price, 54, who goes by “Woody” and is principal at the Branson High School in Ross, and Brittney Hall, 21, were taken into custody by Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies at a hotel in Rancho Cordova, a suburb east of Sacramento on Highway 50, said sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos.

The Sheriff’s Department received a call Friday evening from a man, who identified himself as Hall’s boyfriend, who told a deputy that Hall and Price were at the Hyatt Place hotel and that he believed either Price was drugging the woman or the two were doing drugs together.

Deputies went to the hotel and confirmed with the desk that Price had indeed booked a room there. When officers knocked on the door, Price answered after a considerable delay and deputies were able to look past him and observe Hall passed out and unresponsive on a bed, Ramos said.

Hall didn’t respond to numerous calls from the deputies to wake up, so they eventually entered the room and physically woke her up, Ramos said.

While in the room, deputies found undisclosed amounts of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, as well as prescription drugs.

Price and Hall were both arrested on charges of possession of narcotics, possession of methamphetamine and possession of drugs with intent to sell or distribute, Ramos said.

Calls to Branson High School were not returned Monday.

Price was released the next day on $75,000 bail and Hall remained in custody as of Monday awaiting arraignment on the charges.

Kale Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kwilliams@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfkale