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Five people were arrested after a black bag containing nicotine pouches and cylinders of black tape were found under a shed near the shop areas of Sequoyah High School.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Det. Daniel Martin said School Resource Officer Doug Mills was told the bag had been found by a teacher who then brought it to Mills.

Mills found the 10 cans of nicotine pouches and three cylinders of black tape, but two of the cylinders were cut open and, when he looked inside, he saw a green material believed to be marijuana.

One of the nicotine pouches was found to have four pills inside that were later identified as Suboxone.

Martin said security video from the school shows on the night of March 8, after school hours, a black Chevy Cruz pulled up to the school and a man got out, walked over to the shed and walked back to the car where a woman was driving.

Video from March 5 showed them doing the same thing and they were identified as Mitchell Cook and Sierra Boggess.

Between those two dates, Martin said, an inmate from the Monroe County Jail picked up the bag and concealed it in his pants while two other inmates were serving as lookouts.

Martin said the three inmates involved were Elijah John Presley, Kevin Lee Cook and Nicholas Boggess.

The inmates were reportedly part of the inmate welding class taught by Cleveland State Community College at Sequoyah High School from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Cook, 41, Old Athens Road, Madisonville, is charged with conspiracy to introduce narcotics into a penal facility, conspiracy to deliver Suboxone in a school zone, conspiracy to deliver marijuana in a school zone, sell/delivery of Suboxone in a school zone, sell/delivery of marijuana in a school zone, possession of Suboxone for resale and possession of marijuana for resale. And since Cook is a convicted sex offender, not allowed near schools, he was charged with two violations of the sex offender registry.

Sierra Boggess, 23, Ardmore Alcoa Way, Louisville, was charged with conspiracy to introduce narcotics into a penal facility, conspiracy to deliver Suboxone in a school zone, conspiracy to deliver marijuana in a school zone, sell/delivery of Suboxone in a school zone, sell/delivery of marijuana in a school zone, possession of Suboxone for resale and possession of marijuana for resale.

Presley, 29, Sinking Creek Road, Madisonville, Cook, 45, Cook Hollow Lane, Madisonville, and Nicholas Boggess, 24, Sitzler Road, Philadelphia, were all charged with two counts conspiracy to introduce contraband into a penal facility, conspiracy to sell/deliver Suboxone in a school zone, conspiracy to sell/deliver marijuana in a school zone, sell/delivery of Suboxone and the sell/delivery of marijuana.

michael.thomason@advocateanddemocrat.com