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May 10, 2008 9:45 am US/Eastern
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N.J. Vice Principal Accused Of Stealing Medicine
WOODBURY HEIGHTS, N.J. (CBS3/AP) ―
A South Jersey middle school administrator is accused of raiding the school nurse's office and stealing students' prescription drugs for his own use.
Authorities say Philip Bevilacqua, a vice principal at Gateway Regional Middle School in Woodbury Heights, targeted Ritalin and Adderall -- drugs used to treat hyperactivity but that can also be abused.
Police say he stole medications on three occasions since early April. Each time, police say, the drugs were properly stored and locked.
"All these happened during off-school hours because it would have been when the nurse was not there," Acting Police Chief George Lindsay said.
Bevilacqua, arrested Wednesday, was released from jail pending a grand jury decision on how to handle the charges but has been put on administrative leave with pay from his job.
"There was no selling or offering to students, no concern of any student danger," Lindsay said.
A statement on the schools' Web site read in part: "We ask everyone to delay judgment until all the facts are in and let the justice system run its course."
Bevilacqua, 41, has been charged with theft, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and official misconduct.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)