ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas – A Charlotte Independent School District employee removed from campus last month amid accusations that she provided drugs to students has been charged with nine felony counts in connection to the case, police confirmed Friday.
Feleasha Pesqueda, 33, faces nine counts of delivery of a controlled substance – marijuana – to a child. Each charge is a second-degree felony, Charlotte Police Chief Rick Luna confirmed via telephone Friday.
Luna said that Pesqueda was removed from campus late last month as part of the same investigation and was questioned by police.
Pesqueda was formally charged Thursday and then booked into the Atascosa County Jail after drug tests were done on seized items.
Sources familiar with the criminal investigation said Pesqueda, a paraprofessional, is accused of giving marijuana edibles to high school students.
A statement released by Charlotte ISD Interim Superintendent Roger Solis on the day of Pesqueda’s removal stated that her employment with the district had ended and that the district had reported her to law enforcement and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
Trouble at Pearsall ISD
Records obtained by KSAT Investigates show Pesqueda was fired from her paraprofessional position at Pearsall Independent School District in early May, after she was seen on video twice grabbing the hair of a pre-school child with special needs and grabbing her by the shoulder.
The investigation also uncovered footage of Pesqueda dragging the same child by her shoulders while the child sat in a classroom.
District officials reported Pesqueda to the Texas Education Agency’s Director of Educator Investigations days after she was terminated, records show.
The TEA opened an investigation of Pesqueda in late May, but as of Feb. 27 the investigation was still open, a TEA spokesman confirmed.
Charlotte ISD officials have not released information on how Pesqueda was able to get hired by their district.
The city of Charlotte is located southwest of San Antonio.