Police find cocaine, loaded gun; two elementary principals placed on administrative leave

Police in Washington state said they found a man high on cocaine and a loaded gun at a Redmond grocery store in April. Now two elementary school principals are on administrative leave because of the alleged incident.

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The husband and wife are principals at two different schools in the Northshore School District, KIRO reported.

Michael Griffin is the head of Sunrise Elementary School. Meghan Griffin is at Moorlands Elementary.

Police said that during the April 30 incident, Michael Griffin was “in a paranoid state likely under the influence of cocaine.” A responding officer said Griffin had “dilated pupils”, and “visible white powder on his lips”, and was making “delusional statements.”

They also alleged that he “took his pistol to QFC chambered and unsecured in his front sweatshirt pocket.”

The police report obtained by KIRO said that Michael Griffin’s eyes were darting around the parking lot and that he had yelled at a stranger before his wife stepped in.

Police said that Michael Griffin “believed his wife was in danger possibly being trafficked” and that he had two bags filled with valuables and documents that he tried to give to officers.

Michael Griffin was taken to a hospital and was eventually put on leave on May 9 after the district learned of the allegations.

It wasn’t until Tuesday that Meghan Griffin was placed on leave. A message sent to parents from Moorlands Elementary explaining her leave said that the district “became aware of statements made by Principal Meghan Griffin in a police report” but didn’t explain what the statements were.

KIRO obtained a copy of Meghan Griffin’s handwritten statement saying that “Our recreational drug use began about a year ago while on vacation. It increased recently.”

She then described Michael Griffin’s paranoia.

“Michael and I went to see our primary care doctor on March 22, 2023. The doctor told us we needed to stop the use of cocaine and that at the next check-up, the doctor would do a full workup to check for anything else that could be causing the delusions,” she wrote.

Police made no arrests, but did file an Extreme Risk Protection Order, allowing them to take the couple’s firearms into custody, KIRO reported.