Sister of ex-congressman charged with cocaine possession at Cranston elementary school

CRANSTON, R.I. — A teacher’s assistant is facing a misdemeanor charge for cocaine possession after a small bag containing the drug was discovered in a bathroom at Chester W. Barrows Elementary School in Cranston.

According to Cranston police, detectives were called to the school around 11:00 a.m. Thursday after a school nurse reported finding a plastic bag with a white powdery substance and a straw in the nurse’s restroom.

The nurse told officers that three adults had used the bathroom that day, along with a kindergarten student and a first-grade student. Investigators said all three adults and both children stated they did not see the bag while they were in the restroom.

One of those adults was TA Stephanie Cicilline Given, who police said was the last staff member to use the bathroom. A police report states that she later asked officers if they had come across her vape device, explaining that she had taken items out of her purse while doing her makeup in the restroom and had not seen the vape since.

After officers spoke with the other adults, Given reportedly spoke with police again and acknowledged she had previously used cocaine, though she said she had never used it at the school. She also told investigators she had switched purses earlier that morning. According to the report, she asked what the consequences would be if she admitted the cocaine was hers, but later clarified that she had not claimed ownership of the drug.