Teacher suspected of narcotics possession at school, escorted from school by police

ST. JOHN, Ind. (WLS) -- A Northwest Indiana teacher suspected of possessing an illegal narcotic was escorted out of Lake Central High by police Wednesday.

Police from St. John, Ind., and Dyer, Ind., were called to Lake Central High School at approximately 11:30 a.m. and took Samantha Cox, 24, into custody.

Cox is being held on charges of possessing a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, according to St. John police.

A video shared on social media appears to show Cox alone in a classroom hunched over a book in her lap while students wait outside.

Authorities said students believed the video showed Cox making lines of cocaine and alerted school administrators.

St. John Police Chief James Kveton administrators then contacted police.

Dyer Police Chief David Hein said in a statement that the Dyer Police Department K-9 narcotics unit was requested to assist St. John police officers with the investigation.

"Lake Central is a safe school," said Lake Central High School student Michael Sanchez. "We have a lot of pride. We love our school a lot. And for something like this to happen, it's just, it's very unusual."

Another video from social media appears to show Cox being escorted from the building by officers. School administrators confirmed that police had taken action against a teacher but declined to provide further detail.

According to a statement from the school, the situation was handled with "swift and forceful action" and parents were contacted via robocall.