A Brevard County teacher has returned to her classroom just three months after she was arrested in connection with a wild party involving over 100 teenagers, underage drinking, marijuana use, and a firearm — all hosted at an elementary school principal's home.
Karly Anderson, a longtime educator who previously taught third grade at Roosevelt Elementary, was formally charged on March 31 with two misdemeanors: disorderly conduct and disorderly intoxication, Florida Today reported. Originally, she was also arrested on suspicion of felony child neglect, but prosecutors chose not to pursue that charge.
The chaotic party took place on January 19 at the home of Elizabeth Hill-Brodigan, then principal of Roosevelt Elementary in Cocoa Beach. Police responded to the scene after receiving multiple calls about a disturbance. They arrived to find a teen suffering from an alcohol-related medical emergency on the lawn, and another teen was arrested for DUI after leaving the party. Interviews with students later revealed widespread underage drinking, marijuana use, fights, and one teen allegedly in possession of a gun.
"She was just there, and the police made all kinds of assumptions," Anderson's attorney, Kenneth Weaver, told reporters. Weaver said she had no role in the party and had merely been out to dinner with Hill-Brodigan when police called to report the gathering at the principal's home.
Following a review by the Florida Department of Children and Families, Anderson was cleared and reinstated by the school district. She has now been reassigned to teach at Saturn Elementary in Cocoa.
Meanwhile, Hill-Brodigan remains on unpaid leave and faces more serious charges, including one count of child neglect, five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and one count of holding an open house party. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison and thousands in fines.
Trial dates for both women have yet to be set.
Originally published on Latin Times
