California Teacher Guilty in Pot Poisoning Case - Update

(Vallejo, California)

A Benicia teacher accused of serving pot-laced food to her colleagues at a pre-Thanksgiving dinner party has taken a plea deal in a case that bewildered school parents and district officials.

In a Solano Superior Court hearing Monday, Matthew Turner Elementary School teacher Teresa Badger, 48, pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of furnishing marijuana. Under the plea agreement, she was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and two years probation, according to court documents.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Badger's attorney, Elizabeth Grossman, said her client acknowledged using poor judgment and wants to put the case behind her.

"Teresa Badger is an excellent teacher, parent, wife, friend and community member," Grossman said. "She acknowledges making a grave error in judgment. An appropriate and just result was reached in the Vallejo Superior Court."

No information has been provided regarding the status of Badger's teaching credentials.

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California Teacher Accused of Poisoning
[Previous 2/15/14 post]
(Vallejo, California) A 47-year-old first-grade teacher at Matthew Turner Elementary School, Teresa Badger, has been accused of "poisoning" her colleagues with marijuana-laced food at a dinner party.

Badger faces counts of felony poisoning and misdemeanor furnishing marijuana.

Police said Badger allegedly served a marijuana-laced dish at an after-work potluck on Nov. 21 at the home of one of the school's teachers. Later in the evening, several guests reported feeling sick or possibly high, police said.

Two women were taken to the hospital, where blood work revealed at least one of them had marijuana in their system.

A 15-year-old child also got sick after ingesting some of the pot-laced food the next day, police said.

Police said Badger allegedly confessed to her colleagues that she was involved. She has not made a statement to police since her arrest.

Badger was booked and released on $15,000 bail.