SOUTH HAVEN ADMINISTRATOR QUITS AFTER MARIJUANA FLAP

SOUTH HAVEN -- Facing a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge, South
Haven High School's assistant principal, Pat Conroy, resigned Friday,
Schools Superintendent Dave Myers said.

Conroy, 52, was arraigned on the charge Friday in Seventh District
Court in South Haven and pleaded not guilty, court officials said. If
convicted, he could could be sentenced to up to a year in jail and a
$2,000 fine. He was released on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond
pending a pre-trial hearing scheduled for March 9. Police said Conroy
told them he placed marijuana in a student's locker last year, hoping
the boy, whom he suspected was a drug dealer, would be expelled.

Conroy had been on paid administrative leave since police raided his
high school office Feb. 9 and found several bags of marijuana and
assorted pills in his desk. He told police the drugs had been
confiscated from students over the 4 1/2 years he has been assistant
principal. He was hired in August 1999.

Myers said Conroy notified district officials Friday and told them he
was resigning immediately.

In his police report, South Haven Deputy Police Chief Tom Martin said
Conroy told him that last year he placed some of the marijuana from
his office in the locker of a male high school student he strongly
suspected was a drug dealer. He said he was hoping the drugs would be
found during a police dog search of the school and would lead to the
boy's expulsion. The plan didn't work, because the drug dog did not
pick up the scent of the marijuana during the search, Conroy told police.

The marijuana found in Conroy's desk was in 10 small plastic bags, and
the total weight of all the drug was less than an ounce, said Police
Chief Rod Somerlott. Some of the bags had identifying tags with names
of students on them, but others did not, Somerlott said.

Conroy told police he kept the drugs in his office so he could bring
them to school board student expulsion hearings to show as evidence if
necessary. But school board President Ed Bocock said he does not
recall ever seeing drugs brought to an expulsion hearing by Conroy,
and the district has a policy stating that police must immediately be
notified that drugs have been seized at the school, and that the drugs
will be turned over to police.

Conroy told police he came up with the idea of placing marijuana in
the student's locker early last year after several locker searches by
the South Haven Police Department's drug dog, Herbie, turned up no
drugs at the school.

The superintendent said Friday the district plans to fill Conroy's
position.

The district has two assistant high school principal positions. Conroy
was the dean of students, and the other assistant principal is the
athletic director.

"We think it's a critical position, and we will look everywhere (to
find a new assistant)," Myers said.