A Prairie River Middle School teacher has been placed on a non-disciplinary administrative leave in connection with marijuana charges involving several Antigo educators.
Jay Peterson, a 7th grade teacher, is named in the criminal complaint against John Lund, a principal and head varsity football coach with the Antigo School District. Lund was charged Friday in Langlade County Circuit Court with several felony charges including possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, manufacture/deliver marijuana and maintaining a drug trafficking place.
Jay Peterson’s brother, Scot D. Peterson, 55, of Antigo, is also facing charges in connection with the case. He was charged Friday with 26 counts, including 24 felony counts of manufacture/delivery of marijuana. According to the criminal complaint against Lund, Jay Peterson told investigators that he had obtained marijuana from his brother Scot on occasion.
Jay Peterson has not been arrested or charged in the case. Two other Merrill residents with ties to the school district are named in the complaint as having purchased marijuana from Scot Peterson, but are not currently facing any charges.
Retired Merrill High School activities director Pete Miller and retired teacher Anthony Crabb, who still recently worked as a substitute teacher in the district, told investigators that they had purchased marijuana from Scot Peterson. Miller said he had been buying from Scot Peterson for about 15 years. Crabb said he had been buying marijuana from Peterson since 2006.
Crabb is not working as a substitute teacher for MAPS during the investigation. Miller, who has a contract as a basketball official, is also not being asked to work in that capacity for the time being.
Merrill Area Public Schools interim superintendent Bruce Anderson said Peterson’s non-disciplinary administrative leave gives the district time to do its own internal investigation. The school board met in closed session Monday night to make sure board members understand the situation, Anderson said. No action was taken by the board.
“He hasn’t been charged with anything,” Anderson said. “Now we do our own investigating. It’s a personnel matter so there’s not a lot I can say about it.”
Four other Antigo School District staff members named in the complaint have been placed on administrative leave by that district.
A third man who has been charged in the case is Bradley Maahs, John Lund’s brother-in-law of Wittenberg. He faces three counts of manufacture/delivery of marijuana.
The Langlade County Sheriff’s Department began an investigation in August 2011 into the distribution of controlled substances coming into Langlade County. They learned that a Milwaukee drug dealer was bringing controlled substances to the Wausau, Antigo and Bass Lake areas. He was allegedly selling quantities of marijuana to Scot Peterson, who distributed it widely in Langlade County. Scot Peterson admitted selling marijuana to his friends for the past five years. According to the complaint, Lund told investigators he had delivered marijuana to his friends about 3 or 4 times over the past 3 years. He said he would get the marijuana from Maahs. Investigators found evidence that Maahs was growing marijuana.