PEARL RIVER, NY. (THECOUNT) — Denise Christensen, a Pearl River High School special education teacher, was arrested on felony cocaine charges after driving a man who had been stabbed to the hospital last Saturday.
Christensen, 53, was arrested Dec. 8, after Clarkstown Police officers responded to Nyack Hospital for a report of a man with stab wounds, according to officials.
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After arriving at the hospital, hospital officials contacted Clarkstown Police who interviewed the victim, identified as Carl Mason, 29, of Sparkill, NY.
Both Christensen and Mason were not forthcoming with details of the events leading up to the stabbing, officials said.
The investigation revealed the vehicle, driven by and registered to Christensen, contained a felony weight of cocaine, police said.
The two were taken into custody for the possession of a controlled substance.
Christensen was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance (felony), fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance (misdemeanor).
Christensen has been placed on administrative leave, the school district said.source
Mason was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance (felony) and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Christensen is being held at the Rockland County jail on $2,000 bail. She is due back in court on Wednesday.
Under New York law, the penalty one faces for a drug possession charge is dependent on the drug in question, the amount they are accused of possessing, and their past criminal record.
Mason remains in the hospital.
Anyone with possible information on the case is welcome to contact police at 911.
Pearl River is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located east of Chestnut Ridge, south of Nanuet, west of Blauvelt, New York, and north of Montvale and Old Tappan, New Jersey. The population was 15,876 at the 2010 census, according to Wikipedia.