Teacher Keeps Job After Attempted Poisoning Charges

An elementary school teacher gets to keep her job after she was charged with attempting to poison her husband, Coweta County School officials said.

Teacher Allowed To Work Despite Grand Jury Indictment

Willis Road Elementary’s Rebecca Allwine’s legal troubles stemmed from a January argument with her husband, Coweta County deputies said. They said Allwine slipped a bottle full of Ambien into her husband's drink after the fight.

He survived, and she was charged with aggravated assault with intent to poison, deputies said.

In September, a grand jury indicted Allwine on a felony charge. Prosecutors dropped that felony after she pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors on Tuesday.

Parents and family members said they were upset that the county allowed her to remain in the classroom.

"She was accused of doing something wrong. Until she was found guilty or not guilty, she should have been pulled out of there," Willis Road parent Frankie Davis told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot.

A spokesman with the state's Professional Standards Commission said that Allwine informed them of the incident within the time frame required by policy. He said because the felony charge did not include the commission or conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude, they left her fate up to the school district.

Coweta County Schools spokesman Dean Jackson told Elliot that they followed all their proper procedures and policies with their decision. He said Allwine was kept in the classroom because she "was a very good teacher."

Some community members said they were concerned that they didn't know about the charges until Wednesday, eight months after they were filed.

Keith Carter, whose nephew attends Willis Road, called the situation “absolutely absurd.”

"I cannot believe the school board ever put up with it. It's ridiculous," Carter said.