A substitute teacher at Eustis Middle School was recently arrested after she reportedly offered a vape pen to a student because she wanted to “fit in.”
Jennifer Gain Hale, 50, of Mount Dora was charged with child abuse. She was arrested at her home on Friday after a three-day investigation, according to the Eustis Police Department arrest report.
Earlier that week, on Wednesday afternoon, an officer working at the school was approached by the principal, who informed him of an incident that occurred on Tuesday involving a seventh-grade student and Hale. The principal said he was made aware that Hale had given a student a vape to “take a hit” because they were saying they wanted to try it. The principal called Hale down to his office to speak with her while she was still on campus, the report said.
Hale told the principal she did indeed have a vape on her and allowed the student to take a hit, stating “I was just trying to fit in.” The principal then escorted Hale off campus and advised her she was no longer allowed to return. After she left, the principal reported the incident to the Lake County School Board Human Resources Department, the report said.
Due to the school day ending, the officer was not able to speak with the student and was advised by the principal that his caretaker would meet with the officer at school the next day to discuss the incident. The next morning, the officer and principal met with the caretaker inside a conference room at the main office. She stated she was very upset this occurred and talked with the student when he arrived home from school the day before, the report said.
The student told her that another student had made a comment about him wanting to “hit a vape,” and Hale told him she had one. Hale handed the student the vape, at which point he took a hit of it and handed it back to her. The student’s caretaker stated that Hale should have known better than to give the student a vape device to use, the report said.
The officer then spoke to the student later in the day, and he recounted the story and further stated that Hale told him not to report it to anyone because she did not want to get in trouble, according to the report
The student advised that he felt a rush of excitement due to an adult allowing him to vape. He stated he took possession of the vape and gave it one hit before handing it back to Hale. She told him to be careful because the vape had a salt-like material on it, but he was unsure what it was. The student then told the officer that he should have known better and regretted it, the report said.
The officer spoke with another student, who initially reported the incident to administrators. The student described the vape as metallic and multicolored and that it looked big and expensive. She also said she felt bad because she promised Hale she wouldn’t tell anyone about the incident, the report said.
Hale was arrested and taken to the Lake County Jail, with the vape pen being found and submitted into evidence. She was released after posting $1,000 bond.
