An elementary school teacher from Tulsa was suspended from her job after she was taken into custody under suspicion of drunk driving. Police say that they also located an unrestrained small female child in the back seat of her car. A Tulsa Public School official recently confirmed the woman's employment at an elementary school and that she has been suspended from her job.
Police took the woman into custody on Nov. 18 near 101st and New Orleans Street in Broken Arrow based on reports that she was driving under the influence of alcohol. An officer reports that he saw the woman driving erratically into oncoming traffic with the child unrestrained in the back seat of her car.
When the officer approached the woman, he claims, he detected alcohol on her breath and noted that she lacked the ability to talk and find her keys in her purse at the same time. The woman reportedly failed a field sobriety test.
A person charged with drunk driving faces potentially serious penalties upon conviction, such as incarceration or hefty fines. Many also have restrictions placed upon their personal freedom and may temporarily lose the privilege of driving through license revocation. The likelihood that a jail sentence may be imposed increases when the DWI charges are accompanied by other criminal offenses or if the person accused of drunk driving has a history of DWI charges and convictions.
Courts considering the appropriate DWI penalties generally take into account the severity of the charges and other pertinent factors. A DWI defense attorney may be able to take steps to ensure that the record presented to the court accurately reflects all the facts of the case as well as verify that evidence was obtained without violating the defendant's rights.
Source: KTUL, "Tulsa Teacher Suspended After Reported DUI Arrest", Juan Sanchez , November 19, 2013
