PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN 6) – A Forest Grove math teacher appeared in court on Monday on allegations that he patronized a prostitute and had meth on him over the weekend.
Mike Terou Maraia, 50, was arrested by Portland Police at 3 a.m. on Sunday in the area of Southeast 139th and Division. On Monday, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office charged him with one count each of unlawful possession of methamphetamine and patronizing a prostitute. The drug charge is a Class-C felony.
Maraia, who lives in Beaverton, was convicted of attempted possession of a controlled substance and entered a DUII diversion program out of Washington County earlier this summer, records show.
During a jail release interview, Maraia told court staff that he uses methamphetamine on a weekly basis. He also told staff that he is a math teacher for the Forest Grove School District and has been employed with them for “20 some odd years,” records show.
“On our end, he’s on paid administrative leave indefinitely and we’ll just have to let the courts handle it from here,” said Forest Grove School District’s Chief of Staff Connie Potter. “We do not plan to talk to students about it. That will be up to parents.”
The Oregonian/OregonLive, which broke the story, reports that Maraia works at Neil Armstrong Middle School. The paper also reports that Maraia told police that he planned to pay a younger woman $80 to have sex with her. Police found 3.1 grams of suspected meth and a meth pipe inside a Crown Royal bag, the paper reports.
Maraia appeared in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Monday afternoon for his first court appearance. Records show that he has retained criminal defense attorney Christopher M. Trotter. KOIN 6 News has been unable to reach Maraia for comment. In a statement provided to KOIN 6 News, Trotter said “Mr. Maraia takes these allegations very seriously. He is fully complying with law enforcement and the courts in order to resolve his legal and personal issues. It is my hope that people will remember everything he has done for our community and that they will reserve judgment until the case is resolved in an appropriate and just manner.”