Teacher Busted for Meth, Again

(Grand Junction, Colorado) In October 2005, 40-year-old first-grade teacher at Lincoln-Orchard Mesa Elementary School, Tammie Lee Reed, was arrested at her home for possession of methamphetamine and marijuana. The Mesa County School District put Reed on paid administrative leave.

The drugs were found while police were investigating a theft complaint from her estranged husband. She was booked and released on $7,600 bond.

Notably, since last October Tammie Lee Reed has legally changed her name to Tammie Liberty Lee and, under that name, she was arrested Sunday as a suspect in a check fraud case. During booking, the now 41-year-old Lee aka Reed was found to be in the possession of methamphetamine.

From GJSentinel.com:

After a short time, the deputy heard screaming coming over the jail radios and found a detention officer attempting to open Lee's mouth and repeatedly yelling at her to "spit it out." The officers told the deputy Lee had placed baggies containing meth in her mouth and was trying to swallow them, the affidavit said.

Another deputy placed a Taser against Lee's back and told her he was going to deploy it if she didn't comply. After she continued to struggle with the officers, the deputy deployed the Taser, then deployed it again after she became more combative and difficult to control. Lee then spit out the baggies, according to the affidavit.

The detention officers told the deputy they discovered the meth during the strip search when Lee turned her back to them and attempted to push the baggies into a body cavity. She then threw the baggies into a toilet, grabbed them out of the toilet, shoved them in her mouth, spit them out after she was hit with the Taser, grabbed one of the baggies and tried to shove it back into a body cavity before detention officers got it away from her, the affidavit said.

WHOA! Meth freak goes bananas. Drama in the booking room! [To clarify ... make that 'suspected' meth freak.]

Yesterday, in a classic "Well DUH!" moment, Lee aka Reed told Mesa County Judge Craig Henderson that she was in jail against her will. Judge Henderson replied, "People in jail usually are."

A battery of charges is expected to be filed on Friday. Lee aka Reed will likely face counts of check fraud, theft of between $500 and $15,000, possession of a controlled substance, evidence tampering, introduction of contraband, obstructing a peace officer and violating bail-bond conditions.

Lee aka Reed was due to be tried this week for the charges from last October but that's been delayed since she asked for a new lawyer. Meanwhile, she's still on paid administrative leave from the school.


[Update 01/10/07]

Lee pleads not guilty to all counts. Trial date scheduled.