Pa. teacher and girlfriend surrender on pot charges

SOUTH PARK, Pa. (AP) — A Pittsburgh-area high school teacher and his live-in girlfriend have surrendered on charges they conspired to distribute marijuana grown in a hidden room in their home.

Forty-one-year-old Scott Houck and 23-year-old Taylor Bottone surrendered Wednesday on charges filed by South Park Township police.

Michael Panza, superintendent of West Jefferson Hills School District, says school officials have determined there’s no link between the alleged drugs, the school and any students.

Houck told his students, “Miss you” when asked by reporters for comment after his arraignment. Bottone didn’t comment and her attorney, Phil Melograne, didn’t immediately return a call today.

Houck’s attorney, Charles LoPresti didn’t specifically address the allegations, but called them “overblown” in light of his job as a teacher.

Houck has been suspended from his job as a tech teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School.