A clinic assistant at New River Elementary in Wesley Chapel, FL., has been arrested for reportedly stealing Ritalin from students and replacing the drug with 'unknown' pills. Ritalin is a Methylphenidate which is a central nervous system stimulant and is commonly used to treat attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

WTSP reports instead of giving kids their prescribed medication, Kimberly Smith was taking Ritalin pills and replacing them with some unknown tablet.

On Wednesday, the parents of a child uncovered what was going on.

"Parents came to the school, whose child had been prescribed the medication, because they didn't want him to be taking it anymore and when it was returned to them, they realized there were pills missing," explained Pasco Schools' spokeswoman Linda Cobbe.

When confronted by a school district investigator, Smith resigned. And on Friday Pasco Sheriff's detectives arrested her on drug possession charges.



It's possible this one time licensed practical nurse is nursing a drug habit. The state has suspended her license amid allegations of prescription pill shopping, and Friday's arrest report says Smith "personally" used the stolen pills and then tried to literally cover up her actions.

"One of the pills should have been all yellow and there was another pill that was found in there that looked like it had been altered, maybe with a highlighter of some sort," said Sgt. Chris Beaman with the Pasco Sheriff's narcotics unit.