By Joe Anuta
The former principal of Flushing HS was busted and charged last week with possession of methamphetamine, commonly known as meth, less than a block away from the school, police said, although he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
On July 17 at around 8:30 p.m., 33-year-old Carl Hudson was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, according to the NYPD.
Multiple reports surfaced about the circumstances surrounding Hudson’s arrest, with some indicating it was a routine traffic stop by beat cops. But a police source said the NYPD’s Narcotics Division made the bust.
After Hudson was arraigned on drug possession charges, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was given a conditional discharge.
Police sources said that because he lacked a serious criminal record and because he was in possession of such a small amount of meth, he was allowed to plead to a lesser charge
Hudson was appointed principal of Flushing HS in March 2011, according to the city Department of Education, but was already on administrative duty at the time of the arrest, since a new principal was scheduled to take over in the fall.
Hudson took the helm at the school after it began a reorganization process that was designed to boost student test scores at the struggling institution and capture a bonanza of education funding.
But this spring, Mayor Michael Bloomberg planned to put the school on a different path that involved sacking at least half of the teachers and renaming the school. Hudson was scheduled to be replaced by Magdalen Radovich as part of this plan.
The former principal was first hired by the DOE in 2002 as a substitute math teacher, and currently makes an annual salary of $133,834, the DOE said.
He will continue to serve in an administrative capacity until the investigation is resolved, the DOE said.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
