Third-grade teacher comes to first day of school drunk on boxed wine, Oklahoma cops say
Unsplash via MChe LeeA third-grade teacher was arrested after she appeared to be drunk during the first day of school, Oklahoma authorities say.Officers in Perkins, about 60 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, went to Perkins-Tryon Intermediate School on Thursday, Aug. 17, for a report of a teacher “possibly intoxicated,” according to a news release from the police department. Aug. 17 was the first day of classes in the school district.“A teacher kind of thought that she was acting strange, and the superintendent ended up coming and talking to her,” Sgt. Spencer Gedon told KWTV. “He believed that she was under the influence.”A portable breath test revealed the teacher, 53-year-old Kimberly Coates, had a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.24. Though Coates was not driving, her BAC would have been three times the legal limit, police said.A cup was found in Coates’ classroom with a red liquid in it, according to the Stillwater News Press. She initially referred to the liquid as “my juice,” b
A third-grade teacher was arrested after she appeared to be drunk during the first day of school, Oklahoma authorities say.
Officers in Perkins, about 60 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, went to Perkins-Tryon Intermediate School on Thursday, Aug. 17, for a report of a teacher “possibly intoxicated,” according to a news release from the police department. Aug. 17 was the first day of classes in the school district.
“A teacher kind of thought that she was acting strange, and the superintendent ended up coming and talking to her,” Sgt. Spencer Gedon told KWTV. “He believed that she was under the influence.”
A portable breath test revealed the teacher, 53-year-old Kimberly Coates, had a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.24. Though Coates was not driving, her BAC would have been three times the legal limit, police said.
A cup was found in Coates’ classroom with a red liquid in it, according to the Stillwater News Press. She initially referred to the liquid as “my juice,” body camera footage obtained by KFOR shows.
“Want to try that again? That there is wine,” a school resource officer told Coates, according to video obtained by Law & Crime.
Coates admitted to drinking “half a box of wine” until 3 a.m. the night before the first day of school, KWTV reported. She later said she drank on the way to work, according to the body camera footage.
The teacher told a school resource officer she drank out of the cup the day before and not during class that day, according to the Stillwater News Press.
Coates was arrested and faces charges of public intoxication, police said.
“The school got on it fast,” Gedon told KOCO. “As soon as there was a concern about that teacher, they went into action and did what they needed to do, and they were doing everything they could to make sure everyone was safe at the school.”
The school could not comment on the arrest, telling KWTV it was a “personnel issue.”
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