Crime & Safety
Alleged Smoking in the Girls’ Room Isn’t What Got West Des Moines Valley Student Suspended
Student denied she had been smoking cigarettes, but when her belongings were searched, authorities found something else.
A West Des Moines Valley High School student was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and suspended from school after school officials investigated repeated complaints about someone smoking tobacco in one of the girls’ restrooms.
The student, 16, denied that she had been smoking, but told school officials that she and her two friends observed smoke when they entered the restroom, Detective Bryan Grube, the West Des Moines Police Department’s liaison officer at Valley High School, reported. The student claimed she had seen another girl light a cigarette and then flush it down the toilet.
The girl and her two friends were sent to the principal’s office for further questioning. Meanwhile, Grube said authorities found a metal pipe in the girl’s belongings and she was suspended from school.
She reportedly told authorities, “I’m not going to tell you whose it is because I don’t want them to get in trouble.”
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.