Police await lab results from OUI arrest

By Jonathan Cook
Turley Publications Reporter

STURBRIDGE – A Tantasqua teacher arrested for driving under the influence of drugs Feb. 28 remains presumed innocent until proven guilty in the eyes of the school administration, but the identity of white and pink powders found on a straw in the teacher’s pocket could potentially bring felony charges.
While driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a misdemeanor, there is no policy in the personnel handbook dealing with such violations, according to Superintendent Daniel Durgin.
“There is no official policy on that,” Durgin said. “We try to honor the judicial system.”
Durgin added that he has not heard any inquiries from the public on the employment status of the math teacher, 33-year-old Johan Thedore Leth-Steensen.
Leth-Steensen was seen by police driving with two wheels on the sidewalk on Route 20 after midnight with his four-year-old son in the back seat.
Leth-Steensen reportedly admitted that he’d taken four times the normal dose of Midran, which he takes for migraines. He also allegedly admitted to taking another medication, Methadone, which he has prescribed for back pain.
However, during the booking process, police discovered a hollow pen that appeared to be used for snorting powdered drugs into the nasal cavity. When asked about it, Leth-Steensen would only say that he was in a lot of pain, according to the report.
Leth-Steensen also has a valid prescription for the anti-anxiety Lorazapam, but told police he had not taken any, the report said.
While a first OUI is a misdemeanor and triggers no policy at Tantasqua, Durgin said there is a policy dealing with a felony conviction for a student.
Mass. General Laws Chapter 71, section 37H 1/2 gives a superintendent authority to suspend a student who has been charged with a felony. The student has a right to appeal. Durgin said this rule would be applied to any teacher facing felony charges, as well.
Leth-Steensen has been charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, marked lanes violation and reckless endangerment of child. Police lab results are expected in four to six weeks. An illegal controlled substance could add charges.