Surrey teacher suspended for bringing big bag of pot to school
Credit to Author: Scott Brown| Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2019 18:45:04 +0000
A Surrey teacher who brought more than 45 grams of cannabis to school has been suspended by the B.C.’s Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.
On Nov. 7, 2012, Eugenio Alfonso Bahamonde was working as a substitute teacher at a Surrey high school where he parked his BMW while he taught classes.
According to commissioner Howard Kushner’s decision, Bahamonde’s car contained a gym bag stuffed with 45.6 grams of cannabis divided into two zip-locks bags, $1,440 in cash bundled with an elastic band, an electronic scale, rolling papers and a package of zip-lock bags.
After school, Bahamonde, who was 41 at the time, was observed by police meeting with another man inside his car parked near the intersection of School Avenue and Kerr Street in Vancouver.
Bahamonde was later pulled over by police, arrested and eventually charged with possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
He was acquitted on those charges in 2015 when a judge ruled his arrest was unlawful and the evidence seized from his vehicle was not admissible. The decision was upheld on appeal in 2016.
Despite the courtroom victory, Bahamonde, who had been suspended without pay following the incident, was fired by School District 36 on June 22, 2018.
According to an agreed statement of facts issued by the commissioner, Bahamonde admitted to being unlawfully in possession of the marijuana.
“He says that he possessed the marijuana for medical purposes. He did not have authorization to possess any marijuana for medical purposes, although he knew such authorization was required,” Kushner wrote.
Bahamonde was handed a one-month suspension of his teaching certificate to be served between Sept. 3 and Oct. 2.
Kushner said Bahamonde’s conduct undermines the public’s confidence in the integrity of the teaching profession.