September 3, 2010

FRIENDSWOOD - A construction worker working at the job site for the new Friendswood Junior High was arrested Thursday evening for at the campus at 1000 Manison Parkway.  The arrest occurred after school hours and students had left the campus for the day.

Robbie Carlton, 49, of Houston was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance.  He is being held in the Friendswood municipal jail pending transfer to the Galveston County Jail.  His bail has been set at $40,000.

Carlton has criminal convictions for involuntary manslaughter, and narcotic possession.  He was released from prison in 2004 after serving time for drug possession.

Carlton's arrest came about after Friendswood Police stopped Daniel Koonce, 27, for a traffic violation in the 100 block of W. Parkwood.  During the stop, Koonce was found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia and was taken into custody.  During a search of his vehicle, officers found a syringe with brown liquid.  Koonce said the syringe belonged to a co-worker who was at the school site.

Police followed up at the construction site and interviewed Carlton.  He admitted that the syringe belonged to him and that it contained heroin.  This was confirmed by a field test conducted by officers.

Police officials want to underscore that the heroin seized is intravenously injectable and is not connected to the liquid heroin problem that the Clear Lake area has been experiencing in last 18 months. 

Police officials were informed by school district administrators that Carlton was a subcontractor's temporary employee who had only been on the job site for one day.

Police are working with Friendswood Independent School District officials to ensure that appropriate screening is conducted for the employment of contractors and sub-contractors on the construction site.