Charlotte County support teacher arrested for cocaine possession

A Charlotte County support teacher was arrested last week after she was caught with a baggie of cocaine in her purse, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

Cheryl Lynn Vollmar, 53, of Port Charlotte, faces charges for possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The report lists her as a teacher at Peace River Elementary. The Charlotte County School District later confirmed that she is a push-in support teacher with the district and doesn’t have a traditional class, but does work with many 5th grade students.

The district said in a statement: “At the present time while it’s still under investigation and in the hands of law-enforcement we cannot comment on this situation other than to confirm she is a teacher employed by Charlotte County Public Schools.”

On Feb. 9, a deputy in an unmarked car spotted a white Nissan Altima parked at a known drug house on Conway Boulevard in Port Charlotte. After watching a woman get into the car, the deputy followed her.

The woman, later identified as Vollmar, drove to the Gulf Gas Station, stayed there for a few moments, then continued driving. When turning right onto Harbor Boulevard, she failed to turn into the immediate right lane and the deputy conducted a traffic stop.

When asked where she was coming from, Vollmar said she had just purchased scratch tickets at the gas station. When asked if she’d stopped anywhere prior to that, she said no.

The deputy asked Vollmar if she had anything illegal inside the vehicle, to which she also replied no. She voluntarily consented to a search of her vehicle.

Another deputy searched the vehicle and found a plastic baggie in Vollmar’s purse containing a white substance consistent with cocaine. A field test determined the substance was, indeed, cocaine and Vollmar denied knowing anything about it. Also inside the vehicle, deputies found a cut straw inside the center console, commonly used by drug users to snort their narcotics.

Vollmar was placed under arrest and transported to the Charlotte County Jail without incident. In addition to the drug charges she faces, she was also issued traffic citations for possession of a controlled substance while operating a motor vehicle, stop sign violation, tag light violation, and improper right turn.

The cocaine was determined to weigh 0.7 grams in the bag and the drug paraphernalia was placed into evidence. The cocaine will be sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for further examination.

She will make a mandatory court appearance on Feb. 26, 2020 at 1 p.m.

Court documents show Vollmar was found guilty of reckless driving involving drugs or alcohol in 2011. We reached out to her, but haven’t received a response.

However, we did speak to some parents and grandparents who believe the charge is grounds for termination.

“If it is this, I really think that she should be fired. I really do,” said Robert Lucas.

Others argue it’s up to a jury to decide.

“They could suspend her pending the trial,” said Ray Roddy. “I suppose that could be a fair thing to do to protect the children.”

Innocent or guilty, everyone agrees student safety is number one.