WAILUKU — A teacher who was arrested after police reported finding her with drugs in her purse in a Maui Waena Intermediate School classroom was released on supervision Thursday in a felony drug case.

Colleen Colegrove, 52, of Kihei has pleaded not guilty to attempted second-degree promotion of a harmful drug, promoting a controlled substance at a school and fourth-degree promotion of a harmful drug.

Police records show Colegrove was arrested Saturday on the charges, with her bail set at $50,000.

During Colegrove’s arraignment Tuesday in 2nd Circuit Court, Deputy Prosecutor Joanne Hicks said police had search warrants for Colegrove, her classroom and her home when Crime Reduction Unit officers went to the school at 12:30 p.m. July 18, 2019.

No students were in the classroom when police found three packaged items containing the controlled substance Alprazolam and more than $1,000 cash in Colegrove’s purse, Hicks said.

“It’s probably one of the more reprehensible cases,” she said.

At the arraignment, 2nd Circuit Judge Rhonda Loo kept bail at $50,000, based on the facts presented, Deputy Prosecutor Brandon Segal said during Colegrove’s bail hearing Thursday before 2nd Circuit Judge Peter Cahill.

Colegrove appeared by videoconference from the Maui Community Correctional Center for the hearing.

Deputy Public Defender Jeffrey Wolfenbarger asked for Colegrove to be released on her own recognizance.

He said Colegrove had been charged with fourth-degree promotion of a harmful drug after her arrest and had made court appearances in the case for about a year in Wailuku District Court.

A trial had been set for Wednesday before the District Court case was dismissed and she was recharged in the felony case, Wolfenbarger said.

Judge Cahill said he was considering the procedural history of the case, in deciding to release Colegrove on supervision.

“What concerns me is that the case is going to go to trial and at the very last minute, the state decides to increase it from a misdemeanor to a B felony,” Cahill said. “It’s just kind of disturbing to me under the circumstances.”

Colegrove was ordered to report for random drug and alcohol testing.

A March 22 pretrial conference was set for her.

According to the state Department of Education, Colegrove is on department-directed leave from Maui Waena.

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.