El Dorado Teacher, Coach Arrested On Marijuana Charges
An El Dorado High School teacher and assistant football coach who police said was carrying two boxes filled with pot was pulled over for several lane-change violations Tuesday afternoon in East El Paso.
Police said 34-year-old Darius Enrique Ellison, of the 14000 block of Pacific Point Drive, was driving a 2006 maroon Lexus when he committed numerous traffic violations, including failing to signal intent at Tim Foster Street and Edgemere Boulevard, and failing to signal a lane change at Edgemere and Zaragoza Road about 4 p.m. Tuesday.
When Ellison was pulled for the traffic violations in the 3500 block of Zaragoza, officers discovered two boxes in the back seat containing 39 wrapped bundles of marijuana — one of the boxes contained 19 bundles of marijuana weighing 23.93 pounds, while the other box contained 20 bundles of marijuana weighing 23.91 pounds.
Investigators with the West Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Stash House unit determined that Ellison was in possession of 10 more bundles of pot at his home on Pacific Point. The 10 bundles of marijuana were recovered from a bedroom inside the residence and had a total weight of 11.56 pounds. In total, Ellison was in possession of 59.4 pounds of marijuana, police said.
Ellison was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana, more than 50 pounds and less than 2,000 pounds. He was booked into the El Paso County Jail with bond set at $20,000.
A Socorro Independent School District spokesman confirmed that Ellison was a district employee.
“He (Ellison) is a teacher and assistant football coach at El Dorado High School,” SISD spokesman Daniel Escobar. “He will be placed on paid administrative leave pending further action.”
