DRUG PLEA DIDN'T END TEACHER'S CAREER

He Stayed On Job In City Until Sentencing

A Baltimore special education teacher caught by police with several
pounds of cocaine in his car continued to teach for a year after he
pleaded guilty to the charges in federal court, right up until he was
sentenced yesterday to seven years in prison, his lawyer and school
system officials said.

City school system administrators would confirm only that Martius
Harding, a former wrestling champion at McDonogh School, had taught
at Govans Elementary School since 2002 and that his status was in
doubt because of the court case.

The state said it had no record of a teaching certificate for
Harding, a 28-year-old father of five who drove a Mercedes and
oversaw a character-building club for boys called Govans Gentlemen.

The city school system said it had applied for a certificate for him
14 months ago and received word only this week that the application
had been denied.

System officials would not comment on whether anyone knew about the
teacher's drug conviction as he continued to work with a class of
emotionally disturbed fourth- and fifth-graders.

But prosecutors and Harding's defense lawyer, Lawrence B. Rosenberg,
said a principal had sent a letter supporting the teacher to the
judge handling the case. That letter has not been made public.

The Govans principal, Edith Jones, could not be reached for comment last night.

State education officials said they did not understand how Harding
had been able to stay in his job.

"It would be very surprising with a crime like this that the person
would continue to be in employment," said Ronald Peiffer, deputy
state school superintendent.

Harding's colleagues at Govans expressed shock at the news that he
was involved with drugs. They said he had a good relationship with
his pupils, though he frequently arrived at school late because of
obligations with his young children. His daughter just completed
kindergarten at Govans, which Harding also attended.

"He's very easygoing, very pleasant," said David McFadden, a school
psychologist.

Michael Longinaker, a second-grade teacher at Govans, said Harding
just bought a house in Aberdeen and didn't plan to return to his job
next school year.

In federal court yesterday, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett
sentenced Harding to seven years in prison. Court documents show that
he pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and
possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine.

He was arrested Feb. 15, 2005, after a traffic stop on Interstate 95
in Cecil County. Police found 2.3 kilograms - a little more than 5
pounds - of cocaine during a search of Harding's car.

According to court documents, Harding, known as "T," conspired with
several others to distribute cocaine from late 2003 to early 2005.

Local police and federal authorities found that Harding had received
supplies of cocaine almost weekly from a source in New York.

Harding then cooked the powder cocaine into crack or had others
convert the drug, according to his plea agreement.

He distributed the drugs to customers in smaller, multi-ounce
quantities, court documents said. Prosecutors said the customers
resold the drugs on the streets of Baltimore, largely in the North
Avenue area of West Baltimore.

Under federal law, Harding faced up to life in prison with a
mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years. He also could have been
fined up to $4 million and put on probation for five years after his release.

By cooperating with the U.S. attorney's office, he was able to get
the mandatory prison time reduced, said office spokeswoman Marcia
Murphy. His sentence also includes four years of probation a $10,000 fine.

In Harding's plea agreement, he agreed to report all criminal
activity he knew about, serve if needed as an undercover informant
and testify for prosecutors at trial.

Advertisement A standout wrestler in high school, Harding caused a
small ruckus in the sport in 1993 when he transferred from Paul
Laurence Dunbar High, a public school in East Baltimore, to McDonogh,
a private school in Owings Mills, according to articles in The Sun at the time.

His mother, Stephanie Mack, said then that the move was made to
improve her son's academic environment. At age 16, Harding was the
city's "highest-placing state tournament wrestler and its best
potential champ," The Sun reported.

Mack told the newspaper that her son's father had been in prison for
several years. Harding's attorney said yesterday that while his
client was growing up, he had little or no contact with his father.

Harding's role model was a relative who graduated from McDonogh and
became as a doctor at Good Samaritan Hospital. He said as a teenager
that he wanted a career in surgery.

Harding later attended the University of Virginia, where he wrestled,
and graduated from college in West Virginia, Rosenberg said.

In August 2002, Harding was hired as a special education teacher at
Govans, said school system spokeswoman Edie House. But Peiffer, the
deputy state superintendent, said Harding's name does not appear in
the state's database of teachers who are certified or working toward
full certification, something that is unusual for full-time school
staff members.

State law says that a teaching certificate should be suspended or
revoked if a teacher pleads guilty to a "controlled dangerous
substance offense." But Peiffer said Harding didn't have a
certificate that would have allowed such an action.

In addition, state regulations say that a school board "may" suspend
or dismiss a teacher for grounds including "immorality."

"Drug possession and intent to distribute would very easily fall into
the immorality clause," Peiffer said.

Rosenberg said Harding's descent into drug-dealing was prompted by
his need to pay lawyers in a protracted custody dispute with the
mother of his 8-year-old daughter.

"He's been on a crusade just for visitation, and he pays child
support," the lawyer said, adding that Harding has a good
relationship with his four other children. "He's really a great father."