Teacher quits for good in pot incident

A former Corona del Mar High School teacher who pleaded guilty to giving marijuana to a child under 14 years old will never teach again, prosecutors said Tuesday.

As part of a plea agreement, Chad Edward Smith would withdraw his guilty plea and then plead guilty to a misdemeanor.

Smith, 37, has to stay out of legal trouble until his Dec. 9 sentencing and show proof that he has a job outside of teaching for that to happen, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Carmichael.

Smith said he is living in New York and is working on getting a job with a church there and earning his master’s degree, Carmichael said. She said he planned on not returning to California.

Smith was arrested last summer after Newport Beach police received a tip that he was smoking marijuana with a Newport Harbor High School student.

The student confirmed it and a search of Smith’s home turned up a small amount of marijuana, police said.

He resigned his teaching position at Corona del Mar on Dec. 9, district officials said. He pleaded guilty the next day.

If he adheres to the plea agreement, he will likely have his felony conviction reduced to a misdemeanor, given probation and avoid jail time, officials said.

— Joseph Serna