Newfane teacher revived after heroin overdose

Lockport police said they revived a Newfane Middle School teacher last month after he overdosed on heroin.

“Being an educator and stuff like that, you think they'd be making better choices working with kids every day,” said Lockport Police Captain, Brian Wentland.

They say they also found some marijuana inside the home. But the teacher won't be charged under the Good Samaritan Law. That law has been on the books since 2011 and shields you from prosecution if you're connected to a drug overdose. The goal is to encourage people to call 9-1-1 if they're in trouble.

Wentland said the law ties their hands when it comes to charges that could lead to treatment. “If we do charge them, or can charge them, we can get them into the local drug treatment court program.”

According to Newfane Board of Education minutes, the teacher has repeatedly requested unpaid leave of absences for medical purposes. The requests date back to 2009.

Newfane District officials said they're prohibited by law from commenting publicly. However 7 Eyewitness News has learned that no teacher has been placed on, or applied for, unpaid leave for the upcoming school year.

Newfane Superintendent Mike Baumann also said he hadn't heard of this through any official channels. But according to Wentland, he informed Baumann of the overdose on Wednesday.

We asked Baumann for clarification, but didn't get a response back. It's unclear whether the district plans to take any disciplinary action especially since the teacher wasn't charged with a crime.