School psychologist charged with possession of crack cocaine

December 13, 2012

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC — A Little River man, who works as an Horry County Schools psychologist, is facing drug-related charges after he was stopped on his bicycle by police who said they saw him toss crack cocaine, according to authorities.

Police on Sunday charged Richard Eric Montgomery, 39, with first-offense possession of less than one gram of ice, crank or crack cocaine and booked him into the North Myrtle Beach Jail at 1:20 a.m. that day, according to jail records. He was released at 12:06 p.m. Monday on $5,000 bail.

Montgomery, who was not assigned to a specific school but responded when needed, has been put on administrative leave with pay pending an investigation, Horry County Schools Spokeswoman Teal Harding said. She said he began working with the school district on Oct. 14, 2011.

School psychologists, who serve in a consultative role with other educators, assess students when they are having educational difficulties, Harding said. They are involved with students when helping to determine if a student has behavioral challenges or a disability, but do not counsel students.

The Horry County police report showed that officers were patrolling School House Drive when they saw Montgomery riding a bicycle at 1 a.m. Sunday without a headlight or taillight. The officers noted that when they turned on their blue lights to stop Montgomery he threw down a crack pipe and a white substance before he stopped his bicycle about 10 yards away.

Officers retrieved the items and the white rocks tested positive for crack cocaine. The drugs were seized and placed into evidence.

Source: Tonya Root, "SC school psychologist charged with drug possession," Heraldonline.com, December 13, 2012.