A Colorado middle school teacher was arrested after allegedly getting into a hit-and-run and driving under the influence of alcohol during school hours.
A police report obtained by KDVR said Jessica Lynn Brady, a 32-year-old teacher at Altona Middle School in Longmont, was possibly under the influence when she fled the scene of a crash on Feb. 21.
Officers said she was driving from her house to the middle school at 11:36 a.m.
Brady was arrested in the parking lot at the school.
Police said Brady’s eyes “were glossy and watery” and that her speech was “slow and distinct at times and other times it appeared to be slurred,” reported ABC 7. Officers said Brady told them she had a beer at her house before driving to the school but denied getting in a hit-and-run and said damage to her vehicle was pre-existing.
An officer asked Brady to perform sobriety tests and she had a difficult time performing them. When she tried to walk away, she was arrested.
In a message sent to families of Altona students, Principal Jeremy LaCrosse informed them of the arrest.
“During the lunch hour, a staff member was arrested in the parking lot on a matter unrelated to school operations. We understand that this may have been upsetting to some students and I wanted to make you aware so that you could discuss it with your child in a manner you felt most comfortable,” he said.
A Longmont middle school teacher was arrested Thursday after police say she hit a vehicle, left the scene of the crash and drove back to school while under the influence of alcohol. https://t.co/lHY85Ovul5 #Denver7
— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel) February 23, 2019
“We are working closely with the Longmont Police Department and do not have any additional details at this time. We will update you as soon as more information is available.”
Brady in a statement sent to KDVR said: “I would like to say I care deeply about the children and staff.”
Parents said their children watched as Brady was handcuffed and arrested.
The school declined to comment and Brady was still listed as a teacher on the school’s website as of Feb. 26. It said she was a technology teacher.
Drunken Driving
Almost 30 people in the United States die in drunken-driving crashes every day, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The number of deaths has fallen by a third in the last three decades; however, drunken-driving crashes still claim more than 10,000 lives per year, with 10,874 recorded in 2017, or 29 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities. Alcohol severely affects drivers, the administration noted.
“Alcohol is a substance that reduces the function of the brain, impairing thinking, reasoning, and muscle coordination. All these abilities are essential to operating a vehicle safely,” it stated. Blood Alcohol Concentration, or BAC, is a way to measure how much someone drank and is measured by the weight of the alcohol in a certain volume of blood. At .15, the typical effects on driving include “Substantial impairment in vehicle control, attention to driving task, and in necessary visual and auditory information processing,” according to the administration. Even small amounts of alcohol can affect driving ability.
In 2017, there were 1,837 people killed in alcohol-related crashes where drivers had lower alcohol levels than the legal limit.
“Driving after drinking is deadly. Yet it still continues to happen across the United States. If you drive while impaired, you could get arrested, or worse—be involved in a traffic crash that causes serious injury or death,” the administration added. People who plan to drink should designate a sober driver ahead of time or call a taxi, ride-sharing service, or friend.
