A Leola man is behind bars Tuesday night after police say he was growing 500 marijuana plants in his home.
People in town confirmed that Bruce Steiger, 53, was arrested at his home on the south end of Leola Avenue.
The Leola School also happens to be on the same street, just as short drive down the road.
Neighbors say Steiger was growing the marijuana in his basement.
Tuesday KSFY spoke with the Leola School District's Dean of Student's Kristi Spitzer.
"Whenever anything like that happens in a community it can happen anywhere, no community is immune to that. It brings about awareness, it brings about conversation and more importantly, it brings about an opportunity for us to talk to kids about why we don't want those choices to be made," Spitzer said.
She says incidents like this one are exactly why the school started the Peer Helper program.
The program is for kids in grades 7-12 and is aimed at helping children to focus on who they are as an individual and how to avoid a lifestyle that includes drugs.
"Peer Helpers has helped me to be a better person and know how to treat people better, and have more respect for everyone around me and the other students," 10th Grader Jessica McClain said.
"It helps you learn the reality of stuff, like you know some people may put it to the soft side, but, we'll tell you how it is and ya know, you've gotta not do those things they are really harmful to you. So I think this group will help people to realize that its not the thing you wanna do with your life," 8th grader Gabriella Nikolas said.
Administrators at the school are hoping it continues to keep drugs off the streets and away from their students.
According to McPherson County Sheriff David Ackerman; Steiger could face an even harsher charge for growing marijuana just down the street from the school.
"Certainly we're looking into the location in proximity to the school which is a concern when it comes to the drug free on the safety zone," Ackerman said.
Police are still investigating the crime and say more charges could surface.
Steiger may also face additional charges for drug paraphernalia and firearms.
Ackerman says the investigation was a team effort of the McPherson County Sheriffs Office, Leola Police Department, along with the Brown County Sheriffs Office and the Department of Criminal Investigation.
