CHINA GROVE, NC — A 16-year old, caught with drugs at his high school. Now, Rowan County is charging the young man with some serious offenses after an undercover investigation.
“My reaction is I’m sad. I mean if that was my grandson, or my son, it would be devastating,” says Salisbury resident Greg Matthews.
On Thursday, the school resource officer at South Rowan High School in China Grove arrested 16-year-old Austin Graham. The report says the young man had heroine residue in his possession.
That resource officer contacted the Rowan County Sheriff’s Department, and that’s where this story takes another turn. Turns out the Sheriff’s department has been watching Graham as well. The young man had sold hydrocodone to undercover officers on two occasions.
Graham is now charged with two counts of possessing and two counts of selling opiates as a result of an undercover operation. He was placed in the Rowan County Detention Center under $10,000 bond. All the middle and high schools in Rowan County have resource officers on campus. In this case, it was a Landis police officer who made the initial arrest.
The Rowan-Salisbury School System is pointing to this incident as an example of a system that’s working to protect students and schools.
“They develop relationships with kids. The kids trust them. The kids talk to them. They know they can go to them and tell them things that are going on in the schools,” says Rowan-Salisbury Schools’ Rita Foil.
We went to Austin Graham’s home this afternoon. No one answered the door, but neighbors tell WCCB the 16-year old has lived here his whole life and never caused any trouble.
But something is wrong under the surface.
“Ultimately, it’s got to start in these homes. I mean it’s got to start in my home. I’ve got to teach the right values. You’ve got to teach the right values. You’ve got to teach the right values, or it’s not going to happen,” says Matthews. “A police officer can’t do that. It’s got to come from the homes.”
Austin Graham made his initial court appearance in Rowan County Friday. There is no word on when he will go before the judge again.
