February 4, 2018
A routine drug search at the Renaissance Learning Center in Martin led to the arrest of a special education teacher recently.
The arrest comes months after she was court-ordered to receive drug abuse treatment in connection with two theft cases, court document show.
Martin Police Officer Kristen Napier arrested Raquel Renee Cain, 42, a special education teacher at RLC on Jan. 25, following a K-9 search of the school by the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department, court documents show.
RLC Principal Jerry Butcher said the Floyd County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit was scheduled to search Floyd Central High School on that day, but because administrators at that school were dealing with a possible threat so the K-9 unit searched RLC instead. The search was part of a system of random searches that the sheriff’s department offers at all county schools, Butcher confirmed.
Butcher said the K-9 Unit searched the school and Susan Damron, who oversees Student Support Services at RLC, joined the K-9 Unit in the school’s parking lot. Butcher said he was called to the parking lot after the K-9 Unit signaled that drugs were possibly in Cain’s vehicle.
He said he removed Cain from her classroom and took her downstairs, where she was arrested at 2:42 p.m. He said school officials held buses that day so the students did not witness the arrest.
“The kids could hardly believe it,” Butcher said.
Martin Police Chief Michael Napier said the search was random and that no illegal drug use was suspected
Because the dog picked up on something inside of Cain’s vehicle, officers had probable cause to search, police said.
Upon entering the vehicle, Napier said officers located particles of marijuana, or “shake,” in the floorboard, a straw with a light colored residue on the end, which Napier said was suspected to be a controlled substance.
The straw was sent to the Kentucky State Police laboratory to be tested, Napier said.
According to Napier, residue was present in both of Cain’s nostrils.
Napier said sobriety tests were performed on Cain.
“She was showing indicators of having taken something earlier,” said Napier.
When the officers ran Cain’s information, they discovered she had two warrants out against her. Napier said one was a bench warrant for missing a court date and the other was related to a theft charge. Cain was then lodged in the Floyd County Detention Center. A charge of first-degree felony possession of a controlled substance was filed in connection with the arrest.
She has two other pending cases in Floyd County District Court, each stemming from two complaints filed by a private citizen, in which she is charged with stealing a television and an iPad, and one of which resulted in one of the warrants served against her last week.
On Aug. 21, the day Floyd County students returned to school, Cain appeared in court for both cases, and was ordered to attend drug treatment. In the felony case, the charges were set to be diverted if she completed a 90-day treatment program. A review was scheduled to be held in the case in October, but she did not appear for that hearing and it was rescheduled for March. She also did not appear for the court trial scheduled for December 28 in the misdemeanor theft case and the bench warrant issued for that failure to appear was served when she was arrested at RLC.
Cain has been employed with the Floyd County School District for years, first as a home-bound teacher and later as a special needs teacher at RLC. She also served in 2014 as an itinerate special needs instructor both at RLC and Duff Elementary. She obtained her Rank II certification in 2005, was hired as a home hospital instructor in 2008 and earned certifications in special needs education in 2013. Her certifications are set to expire in June.
The Floyd County Board of Education renewed Cain’s contract as a special education teacher at RLC on July 24, 2017.
On Sept. 25, the board of education approved Cain for family medical leave, scheduling it for between Aug. 24, 2017 and Nov. 27, 2017. Butcher reported, however, that she did not work at RLC during the first semester of school. He said she started working at the school on Dec. 11, and continued working there until her arrest at the school.
Interim Floyd County Schools Superintendent Steve Trimble would not comment on Cain’s arrest. He did, however, confirm that she is still employed with the Floyd County School District. He would not confirm whether she has been suspended.
The Jan. 25 K-9 search was the school’s first drug search this year, Butcher said.
Butcher, who started working at the school this year, said staff told him they had not been drug tested for several years.
“They hadn’t had drug testing up here for four or five years,” he said. “So, I got together with the superintendent at the first of the year and told him I wanted drug testing. He told me there wouldn’t be a problem.”
He said the school takes the use of illegal drugs seriously.
“We want people to know that we are following our policies up here and this school is safe,” he said. “We are a drug-free school and we don’t tolerate the use of drugs here.”
Cain was charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Cain has two other pending cases in Floyd County District Court, both related to warrants taken out against her by another private citizen. She is scheduled to appear in Floyd District Court at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. The other two cases against Cain are expected to be reviewed at that time.
By Mary Meadows and Josh Little
Floyd County Chronicle
