Elementary teacher among 4 arrested for fentanyl trafficking in Union Co.

UNION CO., Ky. (WFIE) - Four people have been booked into jail on drug charges.

Union County Deputies say an ongoing narcotics investigation led them to 210E. Houston St. in Morganfield, Kentucky.

They say Sturgis Police and KSP helped them with a search warrant there.

That led to the arrest of 36-year-old Kenneth J. Manuel. He’s charged with trafficking fentanyl, wanton endangerment, and tampering with evidence.

35-year-old Katherine E. Willett and 34-year-old Jay E. Howard are charged with trafficking fentanyl and wanton endangerment.

Willett is listed on Sturgis Elementary School’s website and Facebook page as a third grade teacher. According to a post from 2017, this would be her 12th year teaching.

We reached out to school’s public relations coordinator, and we were sent the following response:

“After a news release went out from the Sheriff’s Department today, a call went out to parents. Below is the text of the call. We will not be doing any interviews or further comments.

At 6:14 this morning, our district was informed by local authorities that one of our teachers was arrested for drug-related charges. While we have no reason to believe that any misconduct occurred on school grounds, our Superintendent contacted K-9 Resources to dispatch a trained search dog to inspect every corner of our school building to ensure there are no drugs on our school grounds and to exercise an abundance of caution.

We are also working closely with the local authorities and taking all appropriate steps to ensure our building is safe for our students and staff. We will continue to follow all appropriate personnel procedures moving forward in this situation. If you have any questions or concerns regarding school safety, or if your child needs additional support, please do not hesitate to contact us.”