Oklahoma third-grade teacher arrested for allegedly being drunk at work
By Alexandria Williams
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PERKINS, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A teacher in Payne County left school property in handcuffs on Thursday for allegedly being under the influence of alcohol.
The Perkins Police Department said school officials started having suspicions of Kimberly Coates’ behavior in the afternoon. Coates is a third-grade teacher at Perkins-Tryon Intermediate School.
Police said the superintendent of the Perkins-Tryon Public School District asked the school resource officer to make Coates take a breathalyzer test. She was then arrested and taken off the property.
“He determined that she was under the influence of alcohol, and she blew into a PBT and confirmed that she did have alcohol in her system,” said Perkins Police Sgt. Spencer Gedon. “The school got on it fast. As soon as there was a concern about that teacher, they went into action and did what they needed to do, and they were doing everything they could to make sure everyone was safe at the school.”
The superintendent’s office sent a statement about the issue, saying the district is cooperating with law enforcement as they continue the investigation into the issue. They also said the district’s No. 1 priority is to provide a safe learning environment for students.
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When police arrived around 3 p.m., they concluded that Coates had been drinking wine on her way to work Thursday morning. The breathalyzer test reported she was three times over the legal limit of alcohol consumption.
They also found a recently-used cup that smelled of alcohol in her bag inside her classroom.
Police said Coates could face charges for public intoxication. They said the incident is still under investigation.
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