Land O' Lakes High Assistant Principal Arrested

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — Land O' Lakes High School Assistant Principal Shannon Marie Schultz was arrested Friday morning on DUI and possession of cocaine charges.

According to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office jail records, Schultz, 38, was pulled over in the area of North Dale Mabry Highway and Hamilton Avenue West in Tampa Friday morning. Schultz was driving 68 mph in a 45 mph zone, the sheriff's office told Patch. Jail records indicate Shultz’s blood alcohol level was .179/.175.

Schultz was released from the Hillsborough County Jail at 11:01 a.m. Friday in lieu of $2,500 bond, records show. She was brought into custody just after midnight. It is unclear how much cocaine was in her possession at the time of arrest. A request from Patch for the arrest report was not immediately answered.

A Pasco County Schools spokeswoman said district officials were notified of the arrest early Friday morning. Schultz has been told not to report for work until she meets with employee relations staff, a statement from the district said. She will be suspended with pay until a recommendation can go to before the school board to suspend her without pay until the charges are resolved.

The district said Land O' Lakes High parents have been notified of the arrest.

“We are shocked and disappointed that an administrator in whom we put considerable trust and responsibility would use such incredibly poor judgment,” the district’s statement said. “Not only that, but school administrators are role models for the students they oversee, and the actions she is accused of set a horribly negative example.”

Schultz is a Chamberlain High School and University of Central Florida graduate, according to her profile on Land O’ Lakes High School’s website. She received her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1999 and once worked as a private investigator. She began working as a classroom teacher in Pasco County in 2006 at Seven Oaks Elementary. She received her master’s in educational leadership from the University of South Florida in 2013. She was appointed as one of Land O’ Lakes High’s assistant principals in 2015.

No further information is available at this time.

Image via Shutterstock

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