Earlier this week, The Daily Caller reported the story of Thomas Woodrow “Woody” Price, the 54-year-old headmaster of the private, ultra-posh Branson School in a wealthy Bay Area enclave who was arrested in a hotel room on Friday with cocaine, meth and heroin — and a passed-out, 21-year-old woman named Brittney Hall.
Turns out, the story gets even crazier.
On Monday, before he resigned, Price allegedly showed up for work at The Branson School and even attended an all-school assembly at which the school’s honor code was a topic of discussion.
TheDC’s sources all wish to remain anonymous to protect their stake in the school, which charges $39,475 annually for the privilege of attending.
One source told TheDC that Price sat brazenly in the audience at the assembly, which occurred on Monday morning — the first workday after the headmaster was arrested and booked in jail on felony drug charges that include possession with intent to sell because of the massive quantities of drugs involved.
“The school has an assembly every Monday and Thursday morning,” the source said, adding that kids present at the assembly noted that the assembly focused, at least in part, on Branson’s vaunted honor code.
“He is a classic narcissist,” the source said. “How else can you explain a man with a passed-out woman being arrested for doing massive amounts of drugs and then showing up in coat and tie to a school assembly first thing Monday morning as if nothing happened?”
“He didn’t resign until after the news vans pulled up.”
The source, who described Price as “not well” and a “debaucherous creep,” also noted that he has lived in a residence very near the tony campus of The Branson School and he appears to be living there still.
A second source suggested that Price is “a deeply unhappy man” who often seems “annoyed with kids.”
Interesting, the source said, Price appeared to disappear from campus pretty frequently. To the extent the headmaster was around, he enjoyed being called “Dr. Price.”
A third source described the now-former headmaster as “politically correct,” “sanctimonious” and “a very arrogant guy.”
The scene of Price’s downfall on Friday was a Hyatt Place hotel room located about 100 miles away from the Bay Area in a suburb of Sacramento. (RELATED: Cops Find Headmaster Of $39,475-Per-Year School With Mounds Of Drugs And A Passed-Out 21-Year-Old Named Brittney)
Based on a tip, police officers arrived at the hotel room and knocked on the door. After a long delay, Price answered and told the cops everything was fine. However, police said, they could see Hall passed out on a bed. She appeared unresponsive.
The police then entered the hotel room, where they saw drug paraphernalia and a massive array of drugs including heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and prescription drugs.
After the cops managed to revive Hall, they arrested both Price and Hall.
Police say Price was open about his role as the headmaster at Branson. He portrayed his relationship with Hall as a “casual hookup.”
Price is currently free on $75,000 bail. He apparently didn’t bother to bail out his “casual hookup” partner, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. She was still sitting in jail as of Monday, waiting to be arraigned.
The Branson School emphatically celebrates “The Branson Honor Code”. “[E]very member of the community is committed to upholding its precepts,” it says. The code speaks of “honesty and integrity.” “We will, individually and collectively, do our part to create and maintain trust, respect, and care throughout school life by accepting responsibility for our own actions and those of others,” it proudly proclaims. “Members of the Branson community” “will not lie” or “cheat” and “will not condone such action on the part of others.”
Price is a two-time Ivy League graduate. He holds a master’s degree from Columbia University and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.
He also has a young son.
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