Signal Mountain Math Teacher Facing Charges

School Officials Who Attended Saturday Wedding Are Shocked

Thursday, July 02, 2009
Jacqueline Newman and Wes Greene at their wedding. Photo is from Signal Mountain School website under the title "Wedded Bliss".
Jacqueline Newman and Wes Greene at their wedding. Photo is from Signal Mountain School website under the title "Wedded Bliss".

A math teacher at Signal Mountain Middle/High School has been indicted by the Hamilton County Grand Jury in a scheme to sell on the street drugs that were fraudulently obtained by a female friend.

Jonathan Wesley Greene, 28, was charged along with Jacqueline L. Newman, also 28. They reside at 8919 Wing Way, Hixson, and were married last Saturday.

Greene and Ms. Newman were booked at the County Jail on June 18 after the indictment on June 17, but school officials apparently had not been told.

Eddie Gravitte, Signal Mountain principal, said he attended the couple's wedding Saturday and had no idea they had been charged.

He said the couple is away on a honeymoon.

The school website has their wedding photo posted under the heading "Wedded Bliss."

The indictment says Ms. Newman is a pharmacy technician at Walgreen's and that she has been filling fraudulent prescriptions for hydrocodone and Xanax.

It says Greene was selling those pills on the street and they were sharing in the proceeds.

Greene is charged with theft over $10,000, criminal conspiracy, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud and possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.

The indictment says the conspiracy continued from May 7, 2008, to April 24, 2009.

It says on April 24 that Matt Hollifield drove to Walgreen's at 3605 Brainerd Road and picked up a fraudulent prescription in the name of Janet Lawson. It says Greene and Ms. Newman had pre-arranged the filling of the fraudulent prescription. It says Hollifield was to deliver the pills later to Greene.

The indictment says on April 28 that Hollifield picked up two fraudulent prescriptions (each with 120 hydrocodone pills) at the Walgreen's on Brainerd Road, which had been fraudulently prepared by Ms. Newman. It says later in the day that Hollifield delivered the pills to Greene, "who planned to resell them on the street."

County school officials said school employees are required to quickly notify school personnel of any charge they face.

Ms. Newman is no longer employed at Walgreen's in Brainerd, officials said.


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