She has devoted herself to youth physical fitness, team sports and education, winning titles and awards. But now the 41-year-old Virginia teacher and volleyball coach is facing a different kind of challenge headed to a different sort of court.
She was recently arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after she apparently drove the wrong way on a divided road, a Salem police officer reported.
Before being pulled over the teacher had apparently attended a music festival, and upon leaving the fest, attempted an improper turn in her vehicle and was driving erratically. Her blood alcohol content was measured at between 0.15 percent and 0.2 percent. The legal threshold in Virginia is 0.08 percent.
Administrators at her Roanoke County school were notified of her arrest, as required. A spokesperson wrote in an e-mail to the local newspaper that the teacher was still employed as an educator and volleyball coach at Hidden Valley.
Late last year, she coached the girl’s team to a state Group 3A championship and was subsequently honored as a Virginia High School Coaches Association coach of the year in the division.
Her arrest puts not only her driver’s license in peril, but she faces the possibility of jail time and job discipline that might be career-threatening. Those convicted of a DUI charge also are likely to see their auto insurance premiums spike. Like others in this situation, she would be wise to speak with an experienced DUI attorney before discussing the matter with a prosecutor.
Source: The Roanoke Times, “Hidden Valley teacher, volleyball coach charged with DUI after festival,” Jordan Fifer, June 6, 2014