FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — An Old Kings Elementary School teacher was arrested Oct. 6 after deputies said she stole prescription medication from a co-worker’s backpack.
Deborah Gibbens, 51, of Ormond Beach, was charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation began Oct. 5 after a school resource deputy received a report of a theft captured on video inside a school office.
The co-worker told deputies she installed a camera after noticing pills missing from her hydrocodone prescription about three weeks earlier. On Oct. 5, she returned from a meeting to find two of four pills missing from a container in her backpack.
Deputies said the footage showed Gibbens rummaging through the backpack, removing and replacing the pill container before zipping the bag closed.
Gibbens initially denied taking the medication but admitted doing so after learning the incident was recorded, deputies said. She told investigators she had taken pills on multiple occasions since Aug. 31 but believed they were ibuprofen and Tylenol.
Gibbens did not have a hydrocodone prescription, deputies said. The co-worker declined to pursue a theft charge.
Deputies obtained an arrest warrant Oct. 6, and the sheriff’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit helped Ormond Beach police arrest Gibbens that day.
“Teachers are trusted to set the example as they should be role models for their students. Sneaking into a co-worker’s backpack, stealing medicine she didn’t have a prescription for, then lying about it severely breaks that trust,” Sheriff Rick Staly said.
Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore said the district takes investigations seriously and cooperates with authorities.
“One individual’s poor choice is in no way a reflection of the amazing employees across our district,” Moore said.
Gibbens was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail and later released on a $2,500 bond.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2026 Cox Media Group
