Bonanza High School teacher suspended after arrest for drug trafficking
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A Clark County School District teacher was suspended after being arrested for drug trafficking. Video by ktnv.com
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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- A Clark County school teacher has been suspended after district officials learned he was arrested on felony drug trafficking charges.
The teacher, John Mannion, is no stranger to controversy. Action News first reported on Mannion four years ago when he was accused of stealing thousands of dollars in school donations while working as a teacher and football coach.
If the last name "Mannion" sounds familiar, it's because there is a middle school in Henderson named after his parents. Now, their son is back in trouble with the district after police described him as a meth smoker who sold prescription drugs to undercover officers.
In 2009, Mannion was fired as Coronado High School's football coach and P.E. teacher, having been arrested and accused of pocketing $18,000 in school donations. After the charges were dropped, Mannion went through arbitration to get his job back. Much to the school district's surprise, Mannion won.
"In this situation, this employee won that case and we were forced to reinstate him into a classroom position," said Amanda Fulkerson, a district spokesperson. "That wasn't the district's desire."
In July, after his arbitration, Mannion was arrested for selling the prescription drug Oxycontin to an undercover Las Vegas Metro Police officer three times.
Earlier this month, the 54-year-old began teaching physical education at Bonanza High School.
The school district said because Mannion was technically not a new employee when he started his new position at Bonanza High School, he did not have to go through the customary background check. But according to teacher's employment contracts, it was Mannion's responsibility to notify the district that he'd been arrested, and because he didn't, it would be another two weeks before police caught on.
An astute Metro officer and Clark County School District police officer recognized his name.
Parents at Bonanza High School were stunned.
Mannion was suspended with pay on Friday. Neither John Mannion nor his father were willing to speak with Action News on camera.
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