JB Miller

On two consecutive days last week students at the Pimeria Alta Academy were arrested by police on drug-related charges.

According to Nogales Police Department spokesperson Lt. Octavia Gradillas, the first incident occurred on Jan. 7 at 10:40 a.m. and involved a 17-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly snorting cocaine in the bathroom of a gymnasium at 350 W. Western Ave. in Nogales.

On Jan. 8, two 16-year-old boys were arrested at the same location for alleged possession of marijuana. They were booked into the Santa Cruz County Detention Center.

Lt. Gradillas said the incidents were not related, but that all three students attend the nearby Pimeria Alta Academy, which has been using the building for school functions. According to its Web site, Pimeria Alta Academy is a school of last resort for middle school and high school youth who have dropped out, been suspended or expelled from the county's district and charter schools.

The school’s lead teacher, Vanessa Rothstein, said she could not comment on the incidents.