Terry McDonald was caught in a classroom trying to use heroin

Terry McDonald. was an art teacher at Bruns Avenue Elementary School until his arrest, followed by his resignation.
"It's a progressive illness and over years and years of lying and being dishonest about where you are, denying, it'll catch you one way or the other. I knew that was going to happen and it did," said McDonald.
It happened in June of 2007. Police say McDonald was caught in a classroom trying to use heroin. "When you're in full addiction, full blown addiction, if you miss your schedule that you have arranged for your body, you find yourself having to do things in very dangerous ways. And that's what I did," he said.
For him, that was rock bottom and what he needed to turn things around.
"I'm amazed that there is help for addicts who have to get help when they get it, which is usually getting in some trouble. Guess it had to happen that way," he said.
In a Mecklenburg County courtroom, McDonald accepted a plea deal. He pled guilty to felony possession of heroin, but got another possession of drug paraphernalia charge dismissed. He has also completed a drug treatment program since his arrest. "I can now say how much I deeply regret the stress I've caused the community, but particularly, the children,” McDonald said. But this wasn’t the first time he was arrested on drug-related charges. In 2005, he was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia in Buncombe County. "I respect teaching very much so another reason that I regret what happened," he said. As part of McDonald’s plea agreement, he won’t have to spend any time in jail, but he will have to serve 24 months of supervised probation.

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