Oakdale teacher accused of throwing drinking party for teens is charged

An Oakdale High School special education teacher accused of hosting a party at her Escalon home in January during which alcohol was provided to minors has been formally charged and is scheduled to appear in court next month.

Leandra Spence, 45, was charged in April with one misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She previously was cited by and released by San Joaquin County Sheriff’s deputies on three counts of child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor following the Jan. 28 incident.

The mother of the victim, a 16-year-old boy who was found unconscious at Spence’s home and taken to a hospital with alcohol poisoning, attended the arraignment last week with a representative from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The arraignment was continued to June 2.

The boy’s mother asked that her and her son’s name be withheld because her son has been harassed at school since the party. She said she hired an attorney and is pursuing a civil lawsuit against Spence.

The mother said the party was thrown for Spence’s teenage daughter. She said she saw liquor and beer at the home when she went to get her son, who was later determined to have a blood alcohol content of 0.25.

Spence has been on paid administrative leave since the incident, according to the Oakdale Joint Unified School District.

This story was originally published May 13, 2017 at 9:27 AM with the headline "Oakdale teacher accused of throwing drinking party for teens is charged."