By Shawn McGrath
INGALLS — An 11-year-old boy was taken into police custody Wednesday, and his friend’s father arrested, after the youth was discovered allegedly dealing marijuana at his school.
Ingalls Police Lt. Chris Thompson arrested 33-year-old Eric S. McCrae on suspicion of possession of marijuana at about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday after serving a search warrant for his home and car.
During a probable cause hearing to obtain the warrant, Thompson told Madison Circuit Court Judge Fredrick Spencer that officials at Maple Ridge Elementary School caught an 11-year-old, sixth-grade student dealing marijuana to fellow students.
“He was trying to sell the product to other students, who turned him in to the principal,” Thompson said.
Taken into police custody, the boy told investigators that his friend, who is McCrae’s stepson, took the marijuana from a lockbox in McCrae’s garage after picking the lock with a knife, Thompson told the judge.
According to a probable cause affidavit:
Thompson discovered more than an ounce of marijuana in the lockbox inside McCrae’s car. The exact amount of the drugs found wasn’t included in the court documents. McCrae admitted the drugs were his, according to the affidavit.
Madison County Deputy Prosecutor Steve Koester said during the search warrant hearing that the boy who allegedly brought the marijuana to school will likely face charges in juvenile court.
The Herald Bulletin isn’t identifying the 11-year-old youth or the other juvenile because they aren’t expected to face adult charges. The boy allegedly caught with the drugs was released to his mother after he spoke to police.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the boy was suspended from school. Maple Ridge Elementary School Principal John Lord declined comment on Friday, referring questions to Tom Warmke, South Madison Community School Corporation superintendent. Warmke could not be reached. Maple Ridge has students in kindergarten through sixth grade, according to its Web site.
No charges have been filed against McCrae. Prosecutors on Thursday asked for extra three days to file any formal counts. But according court documents, he could be charged with possession of marijuana, a Class D felony punishable by six months to three years behind bars.
McCrae posted 10 percent of his $5,000 bond and was released from jail Thursday evening, according to jail officials. A published telephone listing for McCrae could not be located, and he could not be reached for comment Friday.
