Angola high school teacher jailed after students ate her THC edibles
Debra McGillem, a 49-year-old language arts teacher at Angola High School in Angola, Indiana, was arrested on November 14 and held on a $6,500 bond after two students unknowingly ate THC candy she had left out in her classroom. She faces two Level 6 felonies, including neglect of a dependent, plus a charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
🇺🇸 Angola, Steuben County, Indiana · Indiana, United States
On Thursday, November 13, two students at Angola High School in Angola, Indiana,
unknowingly consumed THC candy that had been left out in their classroom during
their last class period.[1]Deputies determined the candy had been brought
into the classroom by a teacher, later identified as 49-year-old Debra McGillem.[1]Investigators also found additional food items suspected of containing THC
in McGillem’s possession.[1]McGillem drove herself to the Steuben County
Sheriff’s Office, where detectives interviewed her and the two students and came
to believe she had operated a vehicle while impaired.[1]
She was arrested on Friday, November 14, and booked into the Steuben County Jail
on charges that include neglect of a dependent, possession of a controlled
substance on school property and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.[1]McGillem, a language arts teacher at the school, was held on a $6,500 bond.[2]McGillem faces two Level 6 felonies for neglect of a dependent and for
possession of a controlled substance on school property, plus a Class C
misdemeanor for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.[2]
The district said it had initiated an internal investigation and that a report
was made to the Indiana Department of Child Services.[1]After the arrest was
announced, some Angola High School students came to her defense on social media,
with one describing her as the best teacher at the school.[3]
Photos and video
Police photo of high school teacher Debra McGillem published with the arrest. Photo: MGN | Steuben County Sheriff's OfficePhoto details
Peoplepeople.comTeacher Allegedly Left THC Candies 'Out in the Open' in Classroom. 2 Students Ate Them, and She Was Arrested
Open questions the AI reported
The accounts disagree on the exact date of the incident: the WPTA report says the candy was consumed on Thursday, while the arrest was reported Friday, 14 November; the report dates the incident to 13 November 2025.
No weight, count or THC strength of the edibles was published, so no cannabis quantity is recorded.
The students' ages were not published; only that they were at Angola High School.
No court outcome beyond the bond and the ongoing Department of Child Services report was reported.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in CBS Austin / WKRC: McGillem, 49, is from Reading, Michigan.
Left out activity, as its quotation was not found in CBS Austin / WKRC.
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