[420 Girl]

NEW BEDFORD — A former Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School teacher was arraigned Wednesday on a charge of possession of marijuana.

Lisa Cunha, 33, of 12 Priscilla St. was released on personal recognizance and ordered to return Jan. 9 to New Bedford District Court.

In October, Ms. Cunha was issued a summons to appear in court after police found marijuana and paraphernalia used in street-level drug dealing inside her home, court records said.

New Bedford police Officer Justin Kagan went to Ms. Cunha's home Oct. 4 to search for illegal substances after Shayne Dextradeur, 19, a former student of Ms. Cunha, was arrested on a charge of marijuana possession. Mr. Dextradeur, a 2006 GNB Voc-Tech graduate, told police he was living in Ms. Cunha's home, according to police records.

Inside Ms. Cunha's apartment, Officer Kagan confiscated nine burned marijuana cigarettes, a scale, a large plastic bag containing marijuana residue and 56 empty plastic "dime" bags, according to police records.

Ms. Cunha, an office technology teacher at GNB Voc-Tech, was subsequently placed on administrative leave pending an internal school investigation. GNB Voc-Tech Superintendent Michael R. Shea told The Standard-Times Wednesday that Ms. Cunha has since resigned.

"At this point, Ms. Cunha is no longer employed here at the school," Mr. Shea said. "Since she's resigned, the investigation has stopped."

Ms. Cunha's lawyer, Anthony Cruz, did not return a telephone call Wednesday seeking comment.

Ms. Cunha told police in October that she did not know the drugs and paraphernalia were inside her home, court records said.

In a three-page statement she wrote that was placed in her court file, Ms. Cunha said Mr. Dextradeur often visited her house but did not live there.

Police said Mr. Dextradeur listed his address as 12 Priscilla St. when he was arrested. Ms. Cunha wrote that he lived with his grandparents in Freetown. Court records from this year list 12 Priscilla St. and two other New Bedford residences where Mr. Dextradeur said he lived.

On the day he was arrested, Ms. Cunha said Mr. Dextradeur went to her house during the afternoon and stayed there while she took her children to soccer practice. She wrote she came home that night after picking up food and received a phone call from Mr. Dextradeur asking her to provide bail for him at police headquarters on Rockdale Avenue.

Ms. Cunha said police asked to go to her house to see if any illegal substances were there to prevent Mr. Dextradeur from "starting up again," according to her letter. She said police told her it had nothing to do with her, and that there would be no further charges brought against Mr. Dextradeur if anything was in the home.

Mr. Dextradeur was later charged with possession to distribute a Class D drug, drug violation near a school or park and failing to signal for an earlier traffic violation. His case is still pending.

On Oct. 31, a criminal complaint was issued for Ms. Cunha charging her with possession of a Class D substance, court records said.

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