MURFREESBORO One week after the Rutherford County Board of Education instituted a new policy regarding teacher arrests, a Blackman High math teacher was arrested for driving under the influence.
Murfreesboro police Officer Kenneth White reported he was traveling south on North Thompson Lane around 10:30 Wednesday night when he witnessed a black GMC driven by Jennifer Stockard cross into the bicycle lane. In addition, White noticed the vehicle™s brake lights did not work.
Upon speaking to Jennifer, she had an obvious odor of intoxicant about her person, glassy, bloodshot eyes and spoke with slurred speech, reported White, who is a member of the department Alcohol Countermeasures Team.
White said when he asked Stockard, 45, to exit the vehicle in order to conduct field sobriety tests, she asked if she could call someone to pick her up.
I asked her once again to exit the vehicle. Jennifer stated no.™ Due to Jennifer™s driving performance and physical appearance, I felt that Jennifer was too impaired to be operating a motor vehicle safely and placed her under arrest for DUI, the officer reported. Jennifer stated that she had too much™ when asked how much she had to drink.
Stockard has served as a math teacher at Blackman High since 2000 and received tenure in 2003. She did not report to school Thursday, said Rutherford County Schools spokesman James Evans. He said the district was notified about Stockard™s arrest by the Murfreesboro police.
The school district will monitor the situation as it progresses through the judicial process. At this time, the district does not have grounds as her employer to discipline Ms. Stockard because the charges are misdemeanors and do not relate directly to her job duties, Evans said.
In addition to driving under the influence, Stockard was charged with violation of implied consent and open container laws, as an open can of Michelob Ultra Beer was found inside the vehicle. She was transported to the Rutherford County Jail and placed under a $1,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court May 19.
