VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia Beach teacher convicted of drug charges will spend three years in prison.

Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle says 41-year-old Christopher James Brydge was sentenced on Wednesday to eight years in prison, with five years of the term suspended.

The former Tallwood High School orchestra teacher had pleaded guilty in June to drug possession and distribution charges.

Stolle says in a news release that school staff and the school resource officer found marijuana, a scale and packaging material in Brydge’s office on Nov. 5, 2013, after an assistant principal smelled marijuana. They also found a black case containing heroin, hypodermic needles, a burnt spoon, and a lighter.

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