James Bopp, Wyandanch teacher, charged with cocaine possession, records say

Suffolk police arrested a Wyandanch physical education teacher on a charge of cocaine possession at the district elementary school where he worked, records show.

James P. Bopp, 38, of North Babylon, is on administrative reassignment after being arrested twice this year, school officials said.

Bopp, who also coaches boys' varsity soccer in the district, was first arrested at Martin Luther King Elementary School in Wyandanch on March 15, according to court records.

Suffolk district attorney spokesman Robert Clifford said police found two plastic bags containing a white powdery substance in Bopp's cellphone case.

According to Clifford, Bopp told police during the arrest: "The coke is mine. It is for personal use only. I am not selling it to the kids."

Wyandanch schools Superintendent Pless Dickerson did not return calls seeking comment about Bopp's status and whether the arrest happened in front of students.

Dickerson said earlier this week that Bopp, a district employee since April 2006, currently has no contact with students.

Bopp did not return a call seeking comment.

He was also arrested in Selden on Oct. 2 and charged with criminal possession of a loaded firearm, a felony. Clifford said Bopp had a .22-caliber handgun in his backpack when he was stopped by police while driving a 2006 Cadillac.

He has pleaded not guilty to both charges, according to his attorney, Joseph Cozzo of Central Islip.