Myke Kelsoe |
A Central Union High School teacher who is being prosecuted on allegations that he possessed methamphetamine and explosives was placed on unpaid administrative leave, an official said Thursday.
Following a closed-session meeting of the high school district’s governing board, it was announced that Mike Kelsoe will remain on leave pending the outcome of his current criminal matter, said Superintendent Thomas Budde.
Kelsoe, who has been released on his own recognizance because of a lack of any prior convictions, was arrested in Imperial along with two other defendants on Jan. 21 on suspicion of committing six crimes that include being under the influence of methamphetamine and being in the possession of explosives.
Court records reveal that Kelsoe has two prior arrests on misdemeanor counts of possessing methamphetamine in 2001 and 2010, but he has remained on the Central Union High District’s payroll since he was never convicted of either crime, Budde said.
Placing Kelsoe on an unpaid administrative leave for his current case is “the maximum action (the district) could take under authority of the law,” Budde said.
But should Kelsoe be convicted then “additional things could potentially happen” like being terminated from the job Kelsoe has held for what is believed to be more than 15 years, Budde added. Kelsoe is a social studies teacher at the high school.
Court records show that three misdemeanor counts of using and possessing methamphetamine, along with the possession of an “injection device,” stemming from a Sept. 9, 2001, arrest by Imperial Police had been dismissed after Kelsoe successfully completed an 18-month diversion, or deferred judgment, program.
Kelsoe was allowed to enroll in the program a second time nearly nine years later following his Aug. 23, 2010, arrest by El Centro police on another misdemeanor count of possessing methamphetamine, court documents show.
Despite reports in the court file that show Kelsoe has been in compliance with the program, the Imperial County Probation Department intends to file a motion to remove Kelsoe from any further participation in the deferred judgment program in light of his recent arrest, said Liz Castro, special projects for the county’s Probation Department.
The department’s pending court action allows for judgment in Kelsoe’s 2010 case to more forward, Castro said.
Eligibility to partake in the diversion program again for a first-time offender comes after a five-year period, Castro said.
The Sacramento-based Commission on Teacher Credentialing cannot revoke Kelsoe’s teaching credential for basically the same reason that the CUHSD cannot fire him, said Nanette Rufo, director of the division of professional practices at the commission.
Any matter concerning a teacher is confidential but Rufo said that while an arrest could garner an admonishment “it is not enough to take adverse action.”
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at spanta@ivpressonline.com 760-337-3442.
Following a closed-session meeting of the high school district’s governing board, it was announced that Mike Kelsoe will remain on leave pending the outcome of his current criminal matter, said Superintendent Thomas Budde.
Kelsoe, who has been released on his own recognizance because of a lack of any prior convictions, was arrested in Imperial along with two other defendants on Jan. 21 on suspicion of committing six crimes that include being under the influence of methamphetamine and being in the possession of explosives.
Court records reveal that Kelsoe has two prior arrests on misdemeanor counts of possessing methamphetamine in 2001 and 2010, but he has remained on the Central Union High District’s payroll since he was never convicted of either crime, Budde said.
Placing Kelsoe on an unpaid administrative leave for his current case is “the maximum action (the district) could take under authority of the law,” Budde said.
But should Kelsoe be convicted then “additional things could potentially happen” like being terminated from the job Kelsoe has held for what is believed to be more than 15 years, Budde added. Kelsoe is a social studies teacher at the high school.
Court records show that three misdemeanor counts of using and possessing methamphetamine, along with the possession of an “injection device,” stemming from a Sept. 9, 2001, arrest by Imperial Police had been dismissed after Kelsoe successfully completed an 18-month diversion, or deferred judgment, program.
Kelsoe was allowed to enroll in the program a second time nearly nine years later following his Aug. 23, 2010, arrest by El Centro police on another misdemeanor count of possessing methamphetamine, court documents show.
Despite reports in the court file that show Kelsoe has been in compliance with the program, the Imperial County Probation Department intends to file a motion to remove Kelsoe from any further participation in the deferred judgment program in light of his recent arrest, said Liz Castro, special projects for the county’s Probation Department.
The department’s pending court action allows for judgment in Kelsoe’s 2010 case to more forward, Castro said.
Eligibility to partake in the diversion program again for a first-time offender comes after a five-year period, Castro said.
The Sacramento-based Commission on Teacher Credentialing cannot revoke Kelsoe’s teaching credential for basically the same reason that the CUHSD cannot fire him, said Nanette Rufo, director of the division of professional practices at the commission.
Any matter concerning a teacher is confidential but Rufo said that while an arrest could garner an admonishment “it is not enough to take adverse action.”
Staff Writer Silvio J. Panta can be reached at spanta@ivpressonline.com 760-337-3442.
