Investigators say a Harnett County math teacher was arrested after deputies received a report about illegal substances at Overhills High School.
SPRING LAKE, N.C. — A 33-year-old math teacher at Overhills High School has been charged after Harnett County deputies said they found marijuana, related paraphernalia and a weapon on educational property following a report of illegal substances on campus.
The case has drawn unusual attention because it involves a teacher, an active high school campus and a felony charge alleging intent to sell or deliver marijuana near school grounds. Jocelyn McArthur, who is listed on the school website as a math teacher, also faces misdemeanor counts tied to drug possession, paraphernalia and a weapon on campus. The school district said it is following established procedures and remains focused on student and staff safety, while investigators have said the case is still open. What is not publicly known is whether prosecutors believe any sale actually took place or whether any student was directly involved in the alleged conduct.
According to local reporting based on arrest records, the investigation began March 26 after the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office received information that a teacher at Overhills High School was in possession of an illegal substance while on campus. Deputies investigated and arrested McArthur on March 27. An arrest warrant said she knowingly possessed marijuana with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver it within 100 feet of the school boundary. Authorities also charged her with possession of drug paraphernalia, simple possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance identified in reports as marijuana resin, and possession of a weapon on educational property. Local reports described the weapon as a stun gun. By Friday, McArthur had made an initial court appearance, and a judge set a secured bond at $102,000, with local reports saying her next court date was scheduled for April 14.
The charging language is serious, but the public record still leaves important gaps. The sheriff’s office has not publicly described the amount of marijuana involved, whether investigators believe it was packaged for sale or whether anyone on campus was offered drugs. No public account reviewed Monday said a student had been charged or accused in connection with the case. That distinction matters because the most attention-grabbing part of the allegation is the phrase “intent to sell or deliver near a school,” while the facts that usually answer the public’s first questions remain thin in open view. Investigators have said only that deputies received a report, looked into it and brought charges. Sheriff Wayne Coats said the investigation remains ongoing and that additional charges could be filed, a signal that authorities do not yet consider the matter closed.
The school district has responded carefully and in narrow terms. In a statement carried by local media, a district spokesperson said Harnett County Schools takes matters involving student and staff safety seriously and is following established district procedures. The district declined to discuss personnel details further, citing privacy laws, and said it remained committed to a safe and secure learning environment. That left open basic questions about McArthur’s employment status, whether administrators had received earlier complaints and what internal review may now be underway. A profile on the district website said McArthur had been teaching at the school for several years. That detail, together with the fact that the arrest happened at a working high school rather than off campus, helped turn the case from a routine drug arrest into a broader story about screening, supervision and whether warning signs were missed.
Those questions grew louder after a former coworker, speaking anonymously to WRAL, said concerns about McArthur’s behavior were not new. The coworker said McArthur and her classroom smelled of marijuana regularly and claimed administrators had tried in earlier years to remove her from campus. Those claims have not been independently documented in public records released so far, and district officials have not confirmed them. Still, they have become part of the public conversation because they suggest the arrest may have followed a longer trail of concerns rather than a single isolated complaint. In cases involving schools, that difference can shape both public trust and administrative fallout. A one-day failure points to a breakdown in immediate detection. A longer pattern, if later confirmed, would raise harder questions about oversight, documentation and how districts handle complaints involving classroom staff.
The campus setting also affects how the case will likely be judged in public. Overhills High School serves teenagers in a county where school safety issues already carry heavy weight with parents. A teacher accused of carrying drugs and a weapon onto school property creates a different level of alarm than a similar arrest far from campus. Yet the procedural posture remains early. These are charges, not convictions, and the evidence will have to be tested in court. Prosecutors will need to show more than possession if they want to prove the felony allegation tied to intent to sell or deliver near school grounds. Defense lawyers, if they contest the case, may focus on the quantity involved, how deputies developed probable cause and whether the evidence supports the felony count as filed. None of those questions had been resolved publicly by Tuesday.
For students and staff, the immediate impact appears to have been confusion and disruption. One coworker told local television that news of the arrest spread quickly through the school day and became a major topic among students. That reaction is common when the person accused is not a visitor or outsider but a teacher working inside the building. Even so, local officials have avoided broader claims about a continuing threat on campus. Their statements have focused on the arrest itself, the district’s procedures and the ongoing investigation. That restraint suggests authorities are trying to keep the case grounded in the evidence they have already filed rather than the speculation that often follows school-based allegations. It also means the next major developments are likely to come from court hearings, additional charging decisions or district employment action rather than from dramatic new public statements.
As of Tuesday, McArthur faced one felony drug charge and three misdemeanor counts after an arrest tied to alleged drugs near Overhills High School. The next key milestone is the April 14 court date reported by local outlets, along with any update on whether investigators add charges or the district takes formal employment action.
Author note: Last updated March 31, 2026.