Asst. Principal: I Didn't Set Up Drug Deal

In something that could have been an episode of 21 Jump Street that never made it to television:  The assistant principal of East Hartford Middle School faced a judge Thursday for allegedly sending a student to make an undercover drug buy -- and then trying to get him to hide her involvement.
 
Amy Watson, 37, of Manchester, might have just been trying to keep the school clean of drugs. But now she's charged with risk of injury to a minor and tampering with evidence.

Court documents show the student bought a five dollar bag of marijuana from another student long suspected of selling drugs inside the school. Police say some of that money came from the assistant principal and that the security guard actually copied the money so they could trace it back later.

After the deal went down, Watson and security guard Edwin Soto questioned the suspected dealer and confiscated his cash.  When other school officials noticed them comparing cash to copies, they started asking questions, Soto fessed up,  and they called police.

Watson denied arranging the deal.  Police say she called the victim's mother and lied, saying her son did a good thing by finding drugs and turning them in.  Also, according to police, Watson repeatedly told the student to tell anyone who asked that he simply found the drugs.
 
The school's security guard was also arrested.

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