Georgia assistant principal sentenced for role in drug ring

SAVANNAH, Ga. — An assistant principal at a school in Georgia is headed to prison.

Melodie Cheatham pleaded guilty to conspiring to unlawfully possess oxycodone with intent to distribute and for illegally distributing the prescription drug, according to federal prosecutors.

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A judge sentenced her to 24 months in federal prison followed by 3 years supervised release, according to WJCL.

Cheatham was an assistant principal at Brock Elementary school in Savannah-Chatham Public Schools but the crimes are tied to her time in Montgomery, AL.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle District of Alabama said in a news release Cheatham and several others worked to obtain unlawful prescriptions for oxycodone from a physician in Alabama.

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Investigators say in many cases, the prescriptions were coordinated through a third-party and the defendants would never actually go see the doctor.

“It is disturbing how so many are willing to jeopardize the well-being of the community simply to make a few extra dollars,” said Acting United States Attorney Sandra Stewart.

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Channel 2 Action News reached out Savannah-Chatham County Public School System for comment on the sentencing. The district sent following statement:

“This individual is no longer employed with the school district. During the time that Melodie Cheatham was employed with the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, she had no employee infractions and there is no information to support that any of the actions with which she is charged took place in our school setting. District employees are held to high standards and we expect further actions may be taken by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. We are deeply disappointed in this behavior and do not condone any actions that place the students or staff of our district at risk.”

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