Lake Gibson High School staffer charged with grand theft of a controlled substance after admitting to taking pills from a student’s desk.
LAKELAND, Fla. – A 67-year-old school employee, Theresa Salerno, was arrested on Monday at Lake Gibson High School for allegedly stealing prescription medication belonging to a student. The arrest followed a four-day investigation by detectives with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began on September 18, 2025, when school administrators reported a possible theft. According to detectives, a student’s mother brought a prescription bottle containing 30 pills to the school that morning. The medication was counted by the school nurse and placed on Salerno’s desk. When the nurse later retrieved the bottle, nine pills were missing.
Detectives reviewed surveillance footage, which showed Salerno picking up the bottle and walking out of view. When she returned, she placed the bottle back on the desk while holding her other hand in a cupped position, as if concealing something.
Detectives were unable to contact Salerno immediately, as she had left for a scheduled vacation. Upon her return to work on September 22, she was questioned by detectives and admitted to removing pills from the bottle. She claimed her intention was to look up the medication to confirm they were the correct pills.
Salerno was arrested and charged with Grand Theft of a Controlled Substance, a third-degree felony.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd condemned the act, stating, “This woman stole medication that was prescribed to a child. There is absolutely no excuse for that. We expect school employees to protect children, not steal from them. She knew better, and now she’ll be held accountable.”
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