TEACHER SENTENCED ON METH CHARGE

GREEN RIVER - A teacher at Rock Springs and Independence high schools was
sentenced to at least one year in prison after pleading guilty to a drug
charge.

Karen Echols, 51, pleaded guilty Thursday to possession of a controlled
substance and endangering children. Police said she had methamphetamine in
her possession when she was arrested at Independence High School, the
city's alternative school, in February.

According to court records, an Independence janitor found methamphetamine
inside a school bathroom during a time when Echols was the only other
person in the building. Echols also teaches at Rock Springs High School.

A search of Echols' home turned up several pipes containing burned meth.
When she was arrested, Echols had individually bagged meth on her person,
and a urine sample tested positive for both meth and marijuana.

Echols was given a one-to-three-year prison sentence for each charge, to be
served concurrently.