A State College Area School Superintendent, who has since resigned from his post, has pleaded guilty to DUI charges and now faces house arrest and a fine, as reported by the Centre Daily Times.
R.M., 48, was arrested in Clinton County on November 18, 2010 at approximately 8 a.m., for DUI and careless driving.
Police have stated that R.M.’s blood alcohol level proved to be four times the legal driving limit.
Sixteen days after the arrest R.M. resigned from his position as the State College School’s superintendent.
Clinton County Judge Craig Miller sentenced R.M. to 15 days of home confinement – at which time he must wear a monitoring device – and then he is to complete a 6-month long parole. During the 6 months R.M. is forbidden to consume any alcohol, enter a liquor store or a beer distributorship.
The judge set his fine at $1000, and his driver’s license has been suspended until May 2012.
Michael Salisbury, the Clinton County District Attorney, made the decision not to make R.M. a candidate for ARD. ARD is a probationary program that is often given to firs-time offenders.
Salisbury made his decision to refrain from offering the ARD program because R.M. had consumed an over-abundance of alcohol, he was arrested by state police and he struck one – possibly more – orange traffic-control barrels. R.M. also chose to drive under the influence of alcohol on a Thursday morning when school buses were present “on the roadway.”
Joe Amendola, R.M.’s attorney, said that his client had been attending both counseling and support group sessions since he was arrested. Amendola said, “He’s accepted full responsibility for what happened last Nov. 18, he realizes that what he did was inexcusable and potentially very dangerous. ... He realizes full well he could have caused an accident.”
Amendola claimed that R.M. was feeling stress, and pressure, in his position as superintendent.
He also regretted not seeking out help earlier.
Amendola added, “He became overwhelmed. And to a significant degree, he acknowledged that was his fault, not anyone else’s.”
Bob Montgomery, the Board President for the Grove City Area School District, that agreed to hire R.M. as their next superintendent, said that since R.M. was honest about his arrest he deserves another chance.
Board members of the Grove City district spoke with references in State College. The board wrote in a news release, “Throughout his career, (R.M.) has been recognized as an authentic, visionary, relation-ship- oriented leader who invests in future-focused organizational improvement.”
One Grove City resident, J.G., upset about the board’s plans to hire R.M., stated that he may file a lawsuit to prevent R.M. from taking the job. J.G. said that the board “cast such a wide net to find a new superintendent, people are having a hard time believing he was the best candidate.”
If you are facing DUI, DWI, OUI or OWI charges, contact a DUI attorney from our directory as soon as possible for help. Oftentimes, even with a guilty plea, there are options to serving jail time so that you can get your life back on track.