A former Edgewood Elementary aide charged with drug possession and firearm charges was released on $10,000 bail and home detention Tuesday after his defense attorney argued that drug distribution charges added after his arrest gained widespread attention are unsubstantiated.

Kairen Thomas, 28, of Parkville, was terminated from his job with Harford County Public Schools in early December after news broke of his most recent arrest in July. Thomas was also employed with the school system when he was charged in 2024 with possessing an unregistered firearm and later placed on probation.

Community members and local officials criticized the school system over Thomas’ continued employment after his arrests. Several legislators renewed questions about how the public school system handles employees who face criminal charges. Thomas’ arrests came on the heels of earlier revelations that Harford Schools hired another educator while he was awaiting trial on wire fraud and tax evasion charges.

Stemming from his July arrest, Thomas was charged with possessing an illegal firearm while on probation. According to his defense attorney, Mary Patton, it wasn’t until after The Baltimore Sun broke the news of Thomas’ charges while he was employed by Harford Schools that the Harford County State’s Attorney’s Office tacked on additional charges.

“I have concerns about the state adding additional charges without additional facts or evidence and the reasons behind doing that,” Patton said. “Is it really in the interest of justice or it is just politics?”

Prosecutors argued that these charges are the result of evidence from police interviews with Thomas, as well as detectives’ expertise.

Thomas is charged with cannabis possession with intent to distribute; controlled dangerous substances distribution; two counts of possession of controlled dangerous substances paraphernalia; distribution of controlled dangerous substances with firearm; rifle/shotgun possession of a disqualified person; firearms access by minors; and illegal possession of ammunition.

Thomas was ordered to be held without bail on the new charges in December. But in the bond review hearing Tuesday in Harford County Circuit Court, Patton requested Judge Diane Adkins-Tobin grant Thomas home detention.

Patton said that at the time of his July arrest, Thomas was a person of interest in a killing that occurred outside his home days prior. She noted that Thomas is no longer a person of interest in that case.

Prosecutors requested Thomas be held without bail, calling him a “flight risk” and a danger to the community.

But Adkins-Tobin said it would be “unfair” to Thomas to take the publicity of his case into consideration. The judge said that due to his record of not missing court dates and his lack of a violent criminal record, she allowed him to be released on home detention after he posted bond.

“I am happy the judge did not take the publicity into consideration with her decision,” Patton said. “He is clearly proven he is not a danger to society. I am happy with the outcome.”

Patton and prosecutors argued about evidence used to charge Thomas after his July arrest.

She said that in the moments leading up to Thomas’ July arrest, police were monitoring him with a drone at a basketball court. Police said Thomas retrieved an item from his duffel bag and gave it to someone between the ages of 10 and 13 in what looked like a drug exchange.

Police placed Thomas under arrest and found he had a firearm. At the time, Thomas was on probation and was prohibited from possessing firearms due to firearms charges stemming from his arrest in 2024.

Patton argued that none of the drone footage submitted as evidence by prosecutors showed the alleged drug sale that police used for probable cause. She said that when Thomas was arrested shortly after the alleged interaction, no cash or drugs were recovered from his person or duffel bag.

Prosecutor David Ryden pushed back, pointing to a recorded interview police had with Thomas in which he allegedly admitted to giving cannabis that he had bought from a dispensary to an individual at the basketball court that day.

He said despite police not finding drugs or cash on Thomas, arresting officers recovered a gun, zip-lock bags and a scale from Thomas’ bag upon arrest — leading police to believe he distributed drugs.

Ryden added that the additional charges are based on probable cause and can be substantiated by the “life experience” and “law enforcement experience” of detectives.

According to virtual court records, Thomas has a pretrial conference set for March 20.

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Hubbard at mhubbard@baltsun.com, 443-651-0101 or @mthubb on X.