Principal and another school employee face drug charges

A principal and an office manager with the Clark County School District were arrested Thursday on multiple drug charges including felony possession of methamphetamine, sources said.

Two sources with knowledge of the arrests said Dondero Elementary School Principal LeRoy Espinosa, 53, and Joseph Rodriquez, 48, an office manager at Simmons Elementary School in North Las Vegas, were taken into custody Thursday.

Sources said Espinosa was arrested at the home he shares with Rodriquez near Decatur Boulevard and Alexander Road shortly before 6 p.m.

Rodriquez had been arrested at Simmons about 11 a.m. Thursday. The school is near Tropical Parkway and Clayton Street. He was taken into custody while school was in session.

Clark County school police were called to Simmons after a bag of methamphetamine was found in the school office. When officers questioned Rodriquez, he admitted the drugs were his, sources said. He also told officers he lived with Espinosa.

Espinosa was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on one felony count of possession of methamphetamine, one misdemeanor count of possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana and four misdemeanor counts of possession of narcotics paraphernalia.

Detention center records said Rodriquez faces one felony count of methamphetamine possession, one misdemeanor count of possession of 1 ounce of marijuana or less and two misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Espinosa was being held at the county jail late Thursday on $3,000 bail. Rodriquez was being held on $3,600 bail.

School police spokesman Lt. Ken Young confirmed the charges Espinosa and Rodriquez face.

Sources said when officers met with Espinosa at his home, he gave consent to search the house and his vehicle.

Espinosa has been a district employee for about two decades, a source said.

Espinosa is scheduled to appear in court Saturday, according to jail records. Rodriquez is expected to make his initial appearance in court today.

Clark County records indicate Espinosa and Rodriquez have owned a home together since 2003.

Dondero's accountability report for 2009-10 said the school has 724 students. The school is located near Harmon Avenue and Jones Boulevard. In Dondero's accountability report, the principal's highlights said the school "models high expectations for citizenship and academic achievement."

The school was designated as "high achieving" after showing adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind law, the report said.

According to the accountability report for Simmons, the North Las Vegas school served 820 students during the 2009-10 school year.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.