School superintendent faces drunk driving charges

by | Oct 7, 2017 | Drunk Driving

Parents were outraged after a Pennsylvania school board superintendent was accused of driving under the influence of alcohol. The drunk driving accusations came on the heels of the superintendent decrying an assistant coach accused of misconduct. He was arrested and charged, but appears to have since been released as he made an appearance at a community meeting several days later. 

According to police, the superintendent was seen driving erratically around 3 a.m. the morning of Sept. 22. Officers say he was speeding at a rate of 68 mph in a 55 mph zone and weaving on the road. As a result he was pulled over, and police initiated field sobriety tests. They say he failed the tests, at which point a blood test was conducted. The media report did not make mention of when the test was administered. 

The test came back reporting his blood alcohol level at .15, nearly twice the legal limit in Pennsylvania. He now faces a charge of driving under the influence, and the school board has made clear that it is taking the matter very seriously. Several parents in the community have called for his resignation.

Obviously, a charge of this type can mean the end of a career for an educational professional. However, Pennsylvania law allows everyone due process, which means it is the burden of the state to prove the drunk driving charge true in a criminal court. There are several ways an experienced criminal defense attorney can challenge evidence during a DUI proceeding, which may well be the case here as well. 

Source: wpxi.com, “Angry parents confront West Mifflin school board over two scandals“, Sept. 28, 2017

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