Kindergartner with cocaine in Metairie leads to mom's arrest

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's shared details in court about the arrest of a seven-year-old child's mother after he was found with cocaine in his kindergarten classroom.

JPSO testified at a hearing that the boy's teacher found him removing several bags of a white powdery substance from his cubby at J.C. Ellis Elementary School in Metairie.

Investigators said there was a total of four ounces of cocaine in the bags.

They arrested 25-year-old Mari Zelaya on March 20th.

Charges included possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and cruelty to a juvenile.

A detective told the magistrate court that the seven-year-old boy told JPSO that his mommy forgot the bags in his backpack, and he put the drugs in his cubby.

Zelaya had come to the school a short time before the discovery of the drugs and asked to see her son.

The sheriff's office said she was looking for the cocaine in his backpack, but he had already move it... so she told him to go get the bags from the classroom.  That's when the teacher saw the drugs.

The school system released a statement:

“Last month, a J.C. Ellis teacher notified school administration out of concern that a student may have brought an illegal substance to school. The administration acted quickly and contacted the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Our top responsibility is the safety of our students and staff. We take all reports very seriously and follow district policy regarding such situations."