Substitute teacher faces drug charges

A Saratoga substitute teacher is being charged with three drug-related offenses.

Fifty-one-year-old Gregory Scott Bush is facing one count of delivery of a controlled substance marijuana, one count delivery of drug paraphernalia to a minor and one count endangering children after he allegedly allowed Saratoga High School students to use marijuana in his home.

The Saratoga Police Department released an affidavit to the Saratoga Sun on Aug. 14.

In the affidavit, Saratoga Police Chief Tom Knickerbocker said on July 29, the Saratoga Police Department received information saying “someone named Mr. Bush had molested (an unidentified minor)”. A 16-year-old minor told the investigating officers, officer Daniel D. Starr and Sgt. Kenneth Lehr, he would “smoke a bowl of marijuana and just hang out, listening to music”. The minor identified Bush as a substitute teacher at the high school.

The minor told investigators the marijuana was always smoked in the house, and Bush just wanted someone to hang out with. According to the affidavit, Bush told the minor he would rather them smoke marijuana at his house than smoking at someone else’s place, because they might not know what else they are getting in the marijuana. The minor toldinvestigators Bush said his house was “somewhere safe.”

When asked by investigators where the minor had received the marijuana, the minor told them he had bought “a bowl” worth $10 from two other people. The minor said when he went to Bush’s house, “Mr. Bush was drunk and high, we had talked, but nothing happened. Mr. Bush gave me a big hug before I left. I was not raped”. The minor said he had not had any other contact with Bush since that night. Additionally, the minor said he stopped smoking marijuana since May of this year.

On Aug. 4, Starr and Knickerbocker arrived at Bush’s house and brought him into the Saratoga Police Department for questioning.

Knickerbocker asked Bush if he knew what this was about. Bush replied “Kids smoking marijuana.” Bush told investigators he was allowing them to smoke at his house, but did not provide them any marijuana.

After initially refusing to give the names of the minors who were at the house, Bush said the 16-year-old minor who made the initial allegations, another 16-year-old minor and a 15-year-old minor. They had come to Bush’s house to use marijuana “at least six times”.

Bush said it all started in April after he caught three of them smoking marijuana at the high school drama program, of which Bush was the facilitator. Bush said the last time they had smoked was about three weeks before the interview was conducted. He added the minors who had smoked at his house were coping with their friend taking his own life.

“One of the boys wanted to start drinking or smoking marijuana to cope with the pain. I told them that I would rather you come over to my house to smoke marijuana then going out and getting drunk,” Bush told investigators.

Knickerbocker had asked Bush if there was any sexual contact made with any of the boys. Bush reportedly became very mad and defensive over that question, and stated he had not made any sexual contact or gestures to the boys.

Bush said he may have hugged one of the minors after his girlfriend broke up with but nothing more.

“That is why I don’t have one kid over at a time; they all come over with one or more friends at a time,” Bush told Knickerbocker.

Later that day, Bush had handed to investigators a pipe he had used to smoke marijuana with, along with a list of boys he had over at his house.

On Aug. 6, Knickerbocker and Starr interviewed another minor, who Bush said was at his house but not smoking marijuana. The minor confirmed he saw Bush put marijuana in a pipe. Additionally, the minor had seen two others who had spent time at Bush’s home.

“There were a lot of school kids that hung out at (Bush’s) house,” the minor said.

At a follow-up interview with Bush on Aug. 7, Knickerbocker said he was concerned he received information about “more young boys than originally stated,” at Bush’s house smoking marijuana. Bush replied by saying he did not want to give a name unless he was absolutely sure, and said there were a lot of boys coming and going from his house.

Knickerbocker was not able to comment any further, as the case is still under investigation. Bush is being held in county jail on $50,000 bond. A hearing is set for Aug. 20 to determine if the case will move to circuit court.

Bush is facing felony charges, and did not enter into a plea.

Carbon County School District No. 2 Superintendent Jim Copeland has reportedly removed Bush from the substitute teacher list.

Bush, who works for the Platte Valley Community Center, was placed on unpaid administrative leave by the board of directors until his guilt or innocence is determined by the court system.