Thursday 29 May 2008

Gregory Abbott veteran history teacher was arrested at Sunny Hills High School on suspicion of drugs and weapons violations

Gregory Abbott, 31, of Placentia has taught history at the school for seven years, police said in a statement. He was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possessing a weapon on a school campus and possessing narcotics for sale. Police said they made the arrest after receiving an anonymous phone tip that he was selling drugs.The caller contacted police at about 10 a.m. Tuesday to report that he had purchased drugs from a teacher at the high school named Abbott who kept a gun in his car,police said.A school police officer then contacted administrators at the high school, reached Abbott in his classroom and got permission to search his car. Inside, they found the shotgun, some prescription drugs and marijuana packaged for sale, police said.Abbott was then arrested without incident.He was being held this morning at Fullerton City Jail on $25,000 bail, police said.
Gregory Abbott, 31, of Placentia, was booked at the Fullerton city jail on suspicion of possession of a weapon on a school campus and possession of narcotics for sale. He posted bail of $25,000 and was released.veteran history teacher was arrested at Sunny Hills High School on suspicion of drugs and weapons violations Tuesday after police found an unloaded shotgun and a significant amount of marijuana in his vehicle in a school parking lot. The arrest came after an anonymous tip from a 911 caller who claimed to have bought drugs from the teacher.
Abbott has taught history at Sunny Hills for the past seven years, according to authorities. Abbott also previously coached cross country, and track and field at the school before being removed from the coaching staff by school officials.
An anonymous call to 911 just before 10 a.m. Tuesday touched off the investigation into drugs and guns. The caller said "he had purchased drugs from a person he believed to be a teacher at Sunny Hills," said Fullerton police Sgt. Mike MacDonald. "The caller also said the person, who he identified as Abbott, had a weapon in his vehicle."Confronted in his classroom by the police high school resource officer, Abbott consented to have his vehicle searched, MacDonald said.
Along with the shotgun, the officer found marijuana and prescription drugs packaged and ready to be sold, MacDonald said.Tuesday's arrest isn't the first time Abbott has found himself in the middle of a controversy at Sunny Hills. The school's boys and girls cross country teams lost their chance at Southern Section cross country championships last year after they were excluded from postseason activity because of an illegal practice held on the Mount San Antonio College course. Abbott was the head coach. Mount SAC, the host site of the cross country preliminaries and the finals, had already been closed to practices when the teams practiced there anyway. When school officials found out, they reported the situation to the Southern Section office.Several parents accused Abbott of orchestrating the unauthorized practice, even instructing runners to dress incognito so that they would not be recognized as Sunny Hills athletes. School officials denied those charges. Abbott was later removed from his position as the head coach, but continued to teach history at Sunny Hills.

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