Nutrition manager caught with meth at elementary school in Grovetown

Kelley Niles with Facebook with 2016. A mugshot was not immediately available.

Date: December 01, 2021

The nutrition manager at Cedar Ridge Elementary School was arrested on drug charges for allegedly bringing meth into the school, according to Grovetown Public Safety Director Jamey Kitchens.

Kelley Niles was charged with possession of Schedule II Narcotics and transported to the Columbia County Detention Center.

Kelley Niles

The meth was first discovered in an employee restroom Wednesday morning, an area only accessible by a key and not in an area used by students, Kitchens said.  Also, a K-9 unit tracked more drugs to the manager’s car in the parking lot.

Grovetown police were called to the school Wednesday morning after the meth was found in the restroom. An investigation led to Niles’ arrest. 

“The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Division was requested to respond, at which time a search of the employee parking lot was conducted,” a press release says. “A Canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in Mrs. Niles personal vehicle at which time a search revealed an additional user amount of Methamphetamine within the center console.”

Niles is no longer employed by the school district, said spokeswoman Abbigail Remkus.

“Safety of students and staff is a top priority. The school is in the process of notifying staff and parents about the situation at this time,” Remkus said in an email.

Greg Rickabaugh is the Jail Report Contributor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at greg.rickabaugh@theaugustapress.com 

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The Author

Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. He also owns AugustaCrime.com. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel. He is married with two daughters.

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