LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — The arrest of a parent at Bush Elementary School on Tuesday afternoon was prime example of the school system’s dedication to keep children safe.

Margie Dezarn, 31, came to the school around 3:30 p.m. to pick up her children and appeared to be under the influence. Noting her behavior, school officials contacted the 9-1-1 Dispatch Center.

Laurel Sheriff’s Deputy and Public Affairs Officer Gilbert Acciardo said school officials wanted police to arrive before the woman drove off with her children, possibly endangering their welfare as well as other persons traveling the public roadways.

When Laurel Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Turner and London Police Sgt. Mike Holliday, who is also a school resource officer, arrived at the school they determined Dezarn was “extremely intoxicated.” Dezarn reportedly told officers she had taken pain medication and methodone.

She was charged with public intoxication of a controlled substance and taken to the Laurel County Detention Center.

Dezarn appeared in Laurel District Court on Wednesday morning and received a 30-day jail sentence, but was required to serve only three days on the condition that she have no further violations within the next 24 months. She was ordered to pay a $100 fine and $184 in court costs. Records from the Laurel County Correctional Center’s website indicate Dezarn was released from jail just after midnight Thursday.

This incident is not Dezarn’s first brush with the law. On Jan. 4 of last year, Dezarn was arrested for first-degree possession of a controlled substance, first offense. She was also charged with prescription of a controlled substance not in a proper container, tampering with physical evidence, and unlawful possession of a meth precursor, first offense.

Court records show Dezarn was indicted for unlawful possession of a meth precursor in 2011 and pled guilty on May 29, 2012. The other charges, however, were dismissed in Laurel District Court. She was given five years of supervised probation, which Commonwealth’s Attorney Jackie Steele said could be reviewed following Dezarn’s new charge.



njohnson@sentinel-echo.com