A Montgomery County Public Schools first-grade teacher was arrested Monday in connection with a March 2024 fentanyl-related death of a man in Washington, D.C., according to county police.
Sarah Katherine Magid was arrested after county police and special agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted a search and seizure warrant of her Burtonsville home, police said Tuesday in a news release.
Magid, 34, is being held without bond following a hearing Tuesday in Montgomery County District Court, according to court records. Dyan Owens, her public defender, couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Magid has been placed on leave from her job at Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School in Silver Spring, MCPS spokesperson Liliana Lopez said Tuesday afternoon in an email.
“We are aware of Ms. Sarah Magid’s arrest,” Lopez said. “MCPS’ process involving personnel matters is being followed while she awaits trial.”
Police said Magid was taken into custody without incident “on the strength of an arrest warrant” for violations of the state’s controlled dangerous substance statutes, according to the release.
Police did not name the man who died or where he lived, but said an autopsy revealed he died from a fentanyl overdose. During an investigation, county detectives in the Special Investigations Division working with DEA special agents learned that the man had been in the county in the days leading up to his death, police said.
Further investigation identified Magid had been in contact with the man, according to police. Detectives then obtained a search and seizure warrant for Magid’s home and an arrest warrant.
Magid is scheduled for a Sept. 13 preliminary hearing in Montgomery County District Court in Rockville, according to court records.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.