The case of a former teacher facing felony drug charges is wrapping up, with Angela Renee Foote receiving a diversion agreement. Another person arrested at the same time last September is on probation with Central Kansas Community Corrections after plea negotiations in 2012.
Felony drug charges against Foote were dismissed, leaving misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. The state will not seek prosecution on those charges if she abides by the terms of the agreement, filed last week in Barton County District Court.
“The Barton County Attorney’s Office, after examining all reports concerning the incident, believes that it is in the best interest of all parties concerned that prosecution of this matter not now proceed, and that the defendant be diverted from the criminal justice system,” according to court records. Per the agreement, Foote will pay more than $1,500, including a $100 diversion fee, $158 court costs, $400 Kansas Bureau of Investigation lab fee, $25 donation to Crime Stoppers, $100 for State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services (BIDS) fee and $700 for her court-appointed attorney fees, plus a $15 jail processing fee.
Court records show Foote now lives in Norton and works at a nursing home.
Last September, Foote, who had been a special education teacher at Great Bend Middle School for seven years after working one year at Ellinwood schools, was suspended and later dismissed from her contract with Great Bend USD 428 after she was arrested. She was charged with possession of opiates or other controlled substances; use of a communication facility (such as a telephone) for violation of controlled substance laws; felony conspiracy to commit use of a facility for drug transactions; and the misdemeanor charges.
Within 30 minutes of Foote’s arrest, GBPD officers arrested Jordan Hale, 21, at 3828 Forest Ave. He was charged with two counts of distribution of opiates with 1,000 feet of a school and other counts similar to those Foote was charged with. On Nov. 29, 2012, after plea negotiations, he entered pleas of “no contest” to possession of Tapentadol (a narcotic prescribed for pain relief) with intent to distribute, and an amended count of felony possession of marijuana. Other charges were dismissed. He also had fees to pay: $195 court costs, $100 BIDS fee, $15 booking fee, $843.80 attorney fee, $200 DNA fee, $120 probation fees and $800 KBI lab fee.
Hale was sentenced to two years on the first count, followed by 11 months on the second count, but was granted probation.