Teacher arrested for 'public intoxication' at school parking lot
WALTON COUNTY, Ga. - A Walton County second grade teacher is out of a job and out of bond after getting arrested at her school for public intoxication.
“We’re here to do our investigation of number one what happened what got you here to fall down,” said an officer with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office on body cam video.
It was an investigation on Tuesday of last week when Walton County deputies arrived at the parking lot of Walker Park Elementary School. The police report indicates the principal called 911 about a female employee who had fallen down by her car around 8:30 a.m. Captain Darren Vinson, the head of the School Resource Officers Division said that employee was Tara Stewart, a long-time second-grade teacher at the school.
“Once she got out of her car, she obviously had fell immediately after she got out of her car. They offered her treatment and they offered to take her to the hospital to be treated and she said no,” said Captain Vinson.
He said Stewart also refused a breathalyzer test after EMS, deputies and the school resource officer smelled an odor of alcohol coming from her.
“So we will be citing you with public intoxication OK,” the officer is heard saying on body cam video.
Stewart was arrested and taken to jail where she bonded out on a charge of public intoxication, not DUI.
“Not a DUI because we didn’t have definitive proof at the time to show that she was operating the vehicle,” said Captain Vinson.
No comment from the person who answered at Stewart's Snellville home when reporter FOX 5's George Franco went to ask about the incident.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Walton County School District wrote:
"Last Tuesday, former Walker Park Elementary School teacher Tara Stewart was believed to be under the influence upon arriving on campus. The Walton County Sheriff's Office was immediately contacted and completed an investigation outside the school. The Walton County School District has accepted Ms. Stewart's resignation’Captain Vinson put it this way."
“It’s just not a good choice to do something like that the school’s not tolerate, we as law enforcement is not going to tolerate it as well,” said Vinson.
