CLARKSVILLE — A school psychologist and her husband were charged with two misdemeanors after their babysitter stole marijuana from their home and was caught with it at the Bethlehem high school, according to the sheriff’s office.

A 17-year-old student was babysitting for Brian and Maria Mangini and, said Sheriff Craig Apple.  “While babysitting, she began to snoop around a bit,” he said.  She took marijuana from an infrequently used dresser and brought it with her to school, he said.

There, staff caught her with the drugs, said William DeVoe, a spokesman for the district.  She told district officials and Bethlehem Police where she had gotten the drugs, said Apple, whose agency was involved since the Manginis live in Clarksville, outside of the Bethlehem Police Department’s jurisdiction.  The girl said that there was significantly more marijuana in the house, so the sheriff’s office got a search warrant, but found only three ounces.

Maria Mangini has been a psychologist in Bethlehem’s school district for seven years, DeVoe said; she is currently on paid administrative leave while the district investigates.

Before the Thanksgiving break, a student was arrested for distributing methadone, DeVoe said, and there were several incidents involving marijuana during the fall semester.

Because of that, Apple said, his office “wanted to make sure that there was no nexus” between a school employee and student drug use.  He found that there was absolutely no link.

On Jan. 4, following a search of their house, Brian and Maria Mangini, both 41, were arrested for fourth-degree criminal possession of marijuana and endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanors.  The second charge was because they have two children, who are 3 and 8 years old, living in the house, Apple said.  Brian Mangini works at the Blue Sky Music Studios in Bethlehem.

Lieutenant Thomas Heffernan of the Bethlehem Police Department was unable to say whether or not the student had been charged for drug possession, but said that his department has made close to a dozen drug-related arrests at the high school so far this year.

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