School board member charged with furnishing alcohol to minor
Staff writer
A charge was filed in Marion County District Court Monday against a Marion-Florence school board member for furnishing alcohol to a minor.
Douglas A. Sharp, Marion, was charged with one count of unlawfully and willingly furnishing alcohol or cereal malt beverage to a minor. The names of four juveniles are listed in the count. The newspaper chose not to include them.
The charge is a Class B misdemeanor, according to the court.
The charge was filed by special prosecutor Jay Sizemore of McPherson. He was appointed to handle the case by Marion County Attorney Susan Robson, who excused herself from the case due to a conflict of interest. Robson, like Sharp, is a member of the Marion-Florence board of education.
Sharp's first appearance is set for 8:30 a.m. Nov. 6.
The incident stemmed from a report received Aug. 15 by the Marion Police Department regarding a party that allegedly occurred between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Aug. 10.
The police report indicates the suspect — Sharp — admitted he did not take the alcohol away from juveniles at the party.
Gerry Henderson, Marion-Florence USD 408 superintendent of schools, said it was not the district's place to impose sanctions against Sharp.
"There are no statutes which allow a school board to take action against a board member," Henderson said. "It's not my job as superintendent to discipline board of education members. They are my bosses; I work for them. But there are actions private citizens can take."
Henderson commented that if an incident did occur it affected Sharp as a private citizen and not as a school board member.
The superintendent also noted he had been unaware anything "was amiss" until being contacted by the Marion County Record.
The newspaper was unable to reach Sharp for comment.
