PALM COAST, Fla. – An exceptional student education teacher at Old Kings Elementary School was arrested after investigators said surveillance footage captured her taking prescription hydrocodone pills from a coworker’s backpack.
Deborah Gibbens, 51, of Ormond Beach, was arrested Oct. 6 on a charge of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began Oct. 5 when a school employee contacted a school resource deputy to report that prescription medication had been stolen from her office.
The employee told investigators she had noticed several hydrocodone pills missing from a prescription bottle she kept inside a backpack approximately three weeks earlier.
Concerned about the missing medication, she installed a surveillance camera in her office.
On Oct. 5, the employee returned from a meeting and discovered that two of the four remaining pills were missing.
When she reviewed the surveillance footage, she saw Gibbens searching through her backpack, removing the prescription bottle, then returning it and zipping the backpack closed, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The employee told deputies she had never given Gibbens permission to take the medication and did not know how Gibbens became aware that the pills were inside her backpack.
A deputy subsequently interviewed Gibbens, who initially denied entering the backpack or taking any pills.
When the deputy informed her that the incident had been recorded, Gibbens admitted taking the medication on multiple occasions, according to investigators.
She told deputies the first incident occurred Aug. 31 and claimed she believed the pills were ibuprofen and Tylenol.
Investigators determined Gibbens did not have a prescription for hydrocodone.
The coworker declined to pursue theft charges.
On Oct. 6, deputies obtained an arrest warrant charging Gibbens with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.
Later that day, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Unit assisted the Ormond Beach Police Department in locating and arresting her.
“Teachers are trusted to set the example as they should be role models for their students,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Sneaking into a coworker’s backpack, stealing medicine she didn’t have a prescription for, then lying about it severely breaks that trust.”
Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore also addressed the arrest, emphasizing that the allegations against one employee should not reflect on the district’s other educators.
“Flagler Schools remains deeply proud of and confident in our extraordinary faculty and staff who serve our students with dedication and care every day,” Moore said. “One individual’s poor choice is in no way a reflection of the amazing employees across our district.”
Moore said the district takes such matters seriously and cooperates with law enforcement investigations.
Gibbens was transported to the Volusia County Branch Jail and later released on a $2,500 bond.
The district did not announce whether Gibbens had been placed on administrative leave or would face additional employment-related action.