Students stunned by Lely High teacher's arrest after video appears to show cocaine use at school

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. —

A Lely High School teacher is facing felony drug charges after deputies say students recorded video of him appearing to use drugs inside a classroom.

According to a Collier County Sheriff's Office arrest report, Christopher Toukonen, 44, a math teacher at Lely High School, was arrested Thursday on charges including possession of fentanyl, possession of cocaine and possession of drug equipment.

The sheriff's office says school administration received two videos from students showing Toukonen inside a classroom. Detectives say the videos showed Toukonen hunched over his desk, manipulating something with a credit card before putting his face down toward the desk. Deputies say his actions were consistent with snorting narcotics.

The report states that Toukonen also appeared to lick the credit card in one of the videos.

Students who spoke with Gulf Coast News said they knew Toukonen from freshman year physical education classes and described him as well-liked around campus.

“Just like a normal person. Like a good person you would want to be around,” senior Flor Jose said.

Students said they were shocked after seeing the videos circulate around school.

“We couldn't believe that that happened,” senior Laura Vega said. “It’s sad. Just seeing his life go down.”

According to deputies, after reviewing the videos, school administrators searched Toukonen's backpack and found suspected narcotics.

Investigators say they found a cut straw with white powder residue, multiple small bags, and a white powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl.

The sheriff's office says investigators also searched Toukonen’s classroom and vehicle, but no other drugs were found.

Collier County Public Schools says Toukonen is currently in the termination process.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.