FORMER GULL LAKE TEACHERS SENTENCED FOR GROWING POT

KALAMAZOO -- High school teachers Brett and Keri Johnson were nervous
about buying marijuana. So they set up a grow operation in their basement.

Until the police showed up on their doorstep in January.

Now the Johnsons have lost their jobs at Gull Lake High School; they
have a felony drug record, and they're at risk of losing their
teacher's certifications and their home.

The Johnsons, both 34, resigned from their jobs in August, the same
month they pleaded guilty to manufacturing marijuana, a felony with a
potential sentence of four years in prison.

They were sentenced Monday by Kalamazoo County Circuit Judge Pamela
Lightvoet to six months probation. Prosecutor Jeff Fink said that is a
typical sentence for first-time offenders.

Brett Johnson had been an English teacher at the school for 11 years.
Keri Johnson spent 10 years at Gull Lake as a Spanish instructor.

An anonymous tip led officers from the Southwest Michigan Enforcement
team to the Johnsons' Kalamazoo home on Jan. 3.

According to the police report, officers asked the Johnsons if they
grew marijuana, and the couple acknowledged they had a small amount
for personal use. When officers asked to search the house, the police
report said, Brett Johnson responded: "Absolutely. We'll do anything
we can to cooperate with you." Johnson then said to his wife, "Let's
give them everything."

Police found a grow light, 16 marijuana plants with the leaves removed
and 18 plastic bags with amounts of marijuana varying from five to
nine ounces.

The report said the Johnsons told police they grew it themselves
because they didn't want to buy it. They also said that they never had
given away or sold the drug.

Keri Johnson told police it was the couple's "dirty little secret,"
the report said.

The law requires law-enforcement officials to notify school districts
of felonies involving Michigan teachers.

A notification also went to the Michigan Department of Education,
which will decide whether the Johnsons will keep their teacher
certifications. A department official said that such situations are
decided on a case-by-case basis.

As for their home, Kalamazoo County has filed a civil suit to seize
the house under a state law that allows for the forfeiture of property
used for drug operations. The civil case is still pending.

The house is near Spring Valley Park. According to Kalamazoo city
records, the couple purchased the home in 1997 for $84,000.

The Johnsons could not be reached for comment, and their lawyer, Edwin
Hettinger, declined comment.