At around 9:30am Friday, Brazoria County sheriff's investigators pulled 16 students out of their classrooms. A 17th person was rounded up off campus. They were all restrained, loaded into vehicles taken into custody and then booked into jail.
While a large number of students were taken into custody, authorities tell us they seized a relatively small amount of various drugs, ranging from marijuana and cocaine to Hydrocodone and Xanax and other prescription drugs. The bust resulted in 23 felony drug cases and 26 separate charges were filed.
"It helps us to give a message to students that we're not going to tolerate drugs on campus," said Columbia-Brazoria ISD Superintendent Carol Bertholf. "It sends a message to our parents that we're doing everything we can to have our campus be a safe and drug-free environment for al of our students."
Bertholf adds that she has received a number of phone calls from parents, thanking her for taking such proactive measures.
All of the students arrested will be expelled, Bertholf said. Five of them will be charged as adults.
