SALISBURY — A Bennett High School teacher was charged with attempting to possess a controlled dangerous substance and contributing to the condition of a child this month after allegedly attempting to purchase ADHD medication from a student.
On Dec. 9, deputies from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division began an investigation into a reported CDS violation involving a teacher soliciting a student for prescribed medication. The investigation revealed Elizabeth Day, 30, who is the wife of Salisbury Mayor Jake Day, allegedly solicited a 16-year-old student to purchase two ADHD pills for $20.
Day is a teacher at James M. Bennett High School in Wicomico County, and the student is enrolled at the high school. An arrest warrant was obtained for Day and she turned herself in to the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office last Friday. Wicomico County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Donna Hanlin issued a statement last Friday announcing Day has been placed on administrative leave.
“Today, we learned that Elizabeth Day, a physical education teacher at James M. Bennett High School, has been charged in connection with a criminal investigation,” the superintendent’s statement reads. “Day is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Wicomico County Public Schools is working in full cooperation with the legal system in this matter. Our first priority is always the safety and well-being of our students and staff. As this is an ongoing investigation, Wicomico County Public Schools cannot provide any additional information.”
Meanwhile, Day’s attorney John Phoebus issued his own statement on behalf of his client.
“After meeting with a district court commissioner, she was released on her own recognizance based on the relatively minor nature of these charges and the fact she has never been in trouble her entire life,” the statement read.
In the statement, Phoebus said Day is cooperating with authorities in the investigation.
“Mrs. Day is committed to her family, her children and the Salisbury community,” the statement reads. “… she is presumed innocent of these charges. We intend to litigate this matter only in the courts and we will have no further statements concerning these charges until her trial in February.”
