Substitute teacher arrested at Statesville school after marijuana odor is detected

Thobani Viki, 30, of Fifth Street, Statesville, was charged with three misdemeanor counts, possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana paraphernalia and possession of a malt beverage on school property.

A magistrate set bond at $10,000.

Viki is on probation for DWI from Alexander County.

Campbell said that on Monday, staff members at Third Creek Middle School noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from a classroom. The school resource officer was notified and investigated. The SRO noticed the odor was coming from the area of a teacher’s desk, and when the substitute teacher, Viki, was asked about the scent he made statements about possessing marijuana, Campbell said.

A search of his belongings uncovered marijuana, several packages of marijuana cigarette materials and four cans of Twisted Ice Tea, which is 5% alcohol by volume, Campbell said.

Viki is not an employee of Iredell-Statesville Schools but is employed through ESS, Educational Staffing Solutions, which contracts with I-SS to fill positions within the school system, Campbell said.

“I am proud of the fast actions of Third Creek Middle School staff members as well as the investigation conducted by our school resource officer. This is a prime example of why having SROs at every school is so vital to the safety and security of our schools,” Campbell said.

“Viki served as a substitute teacher for 13 days at Third Creek Middle School. Viki was hired in March 2023 by Education Staffing Solutions (ESS), a company Iredell-Statesville Schools contracted with in February 2021 to manage and staff substitutes. Due to this incident, Iredell-Statesville Schools is reviewing the safety process and procedures taken by ESS before an employee is cleared to be in our buildings. Iredell-Statesville Schools is committed to keeping the safety of our students and staff as a top priority,” the school system said in a news release.