WAYNE -- A special education teacher and volleyball coach in Wayne County has been arrested and suspended from both jobs within a week, according to court documents and school board records.

Melissa Dawn Pemberton, 24, of Huntington was charged Friday, Sept. 3, with misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance. The criminal complaint charged a sheriff's deputy found Opana ER in her vehicle.

Medical experts describe Opana ER as a brand name for the drug oxymorphone, a narcotic.

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office found the prescription medication in her vehicle following an Aug. 27 complaint received at 911 dispatch, according to a criminal complaint. A caller told the dispatcher a female teacher seemed to be intoxicated at Wayne Elementary School.

An incident report filed at the Sheriff's Office states Pemberton had slurred speech and was observed sleeping in class. She submitted to a urine test and allowed deputies to search her purse and vehicle. There they found pills and drug paraphernalia, the report states.

Wayne County Schools Superintendent Gary Adkins immediately suspended Pemberton. Board members voted 5-0 Tuesday to continue her suspension without pay pending the completion of the investigation. The vote came during the board's regular meeting.

Pemberton is in her first year as a special education teacher at Wayne Elementary School. She also coached volleyball at Vinson Middle School. The team's assistant volleyball coach has taken over her responsibilities, Adkins said. She previously taught at Crum Middle School.

The Sheriff's Office incident report states officers observed what appeared to be pill residue in Pemberton's left nostril. The urine test showed positive results for marijuana use and prescription medications.

The incident report states deputies confiscated one pill bottle from her purse, which contained two different medications.

The vehicle search led deputies to confiscate five pill bottles with various medications and paraphernalia including four small hose clamps, three plastic straws, two pieces of hose and one dish.

Sheriff's deputies found prescriptions for many of the pills, but found no such prescription for the Opana ER.

Pemberton did not respond to a request for comment.

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