Teacher Found Guilty of Selling Drugs to Kids at School

Clewiston, FL — Maria Otilia Rivera, a 37-year old teacher from Florida, has been found guilty of selling illegal drugs to two students at the middle school where she was teaching as a substitute following an investigation that started in 2017.

Rivera reportedly sold drugs to two girls, ages 12 and 14, who had not previously used drugs. Investigators said she would bring the two girls with her out of the campus and there she would teach them how to prepare and ingest it.

The two girls were rushed to the hospital after complaining of stomach pains. They told police officers that it’s because they had smoked marijuana from Rivera.

In another incident, Rivera allegedly took money from a student and promised to deliver drugs the following day. The transaction was stopped when authorities interrupted and found the drugs in her possession.

Rivera was found guilty of two counts of possession of a controlled substance with the intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a school, one count of sale in lieu of a controlled substance, and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Rivera is facing up to 35 years in prison. She was allowed to remain free until her sentencing on October 16 but the State Attorney’s Office calls for her immediate imprisonment.