Former Dem Congressman’s Sister Arrested After Cocaine Found in Elementary School Bathroom [WATCH]

A teaching assistant at a Rhode Island elementary school has been arrested after police linked her to a bag of cocaine discovered inside a school bathroom, according to a police report.

As The New York Post reported, Stephanie Cicilline-Given, 58, a teaching assistant at Chester W. Barrows Elementary School, was taken into custody on March 12 after authorities connected her to the drugs found in the nurse’s office bathroom.

Cicilline-Given is the younger sister of former Democratic Rep. David Cicilline, according to NBC 10 News.

Now on @NBC10 Sunrise: A Cranston teacher’s assistant – sister of former Congressman David Cicilline – is charged with drug possession after authorities say cocaine was found in a school bathroom.https://t.co/WlMSrSryN7 pic.twitter.com/IKIdOq9Opk

— Mario Hilario (@NBC10_Mario) March 17, 2026

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The incident began when the school nurse discovered a plastic bag containing cocaine along with a plastic straw commonly used to ingest the substance.

The nurse turned the items over to the school principal, who then notified the Cranston Police Department, according to the report obtained by 12 News.

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Investigators determined that Cicilline-Given was the last known adult to have used the bathroom before the school’s morning recess, leading officers to focus their investigation on her.

When questioned by police, Cicilline-Given initially believed officers were investigating her missing vape device.

According to the report, when an officer informed her that a bag of cocaine had been found instead, she asked whether she would need a lawyer before she had been formally accused of any wrongdoing.

Cicilline-Given repeatedly asked about her vape and denied knowledge of the cocaine. After officers spoke with other school staff, she returned to the conversation with a hypothetical question.

“I don’t want all these teachers to go through this. What if I said the cocaine was mine? What would happen next?” she asked, according to the police report.

Authorities said Cicilline-Given later clarified that she was not confessing to leaving the cocaine at the school, but instead admitted to being an occasional cocaine user outside of work.

She told officers she had switched purses that morning and believed she had left her vape at home. She also stated she was trying to be helpful but was concerned about losing her job.

During questioning, Cicilline-Given reportedly laughed as officers pressed her for additional details about the baggie.

Investigators suggested the cocaine may have fallen from her bag while she was in the bathroom applying makeup, according to the report.

Cicilline-Given later requested an attorney. She was transported to the Cranston Police Department and charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of cocaine, according to the arrest log. She is scheduled to appear in court on April 21.

The case has drawn attention in part due to Cicilline-Given’s family connections.

In 2018, her sister, Susan Cicilline-Buonanno, a former Rhode Island councilwoman, was stopped during an episode of “A&E Live PD” on suspicion of driving under the influence.

She was released after an officer determined she was “under medication.”

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