POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A Polk County elementary school dean is accused of driving while under the influence of alcohol, according to deputies.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, 48-year-old Willie English, Jr., of Avon Park, was pulled over around 12:15 a.m. Thursday after driving his vehicle off the road twice near Avon Park Cutoff Road and Highway 98 East.
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English told deputies he works as the dean of students at Sun ‘N Lake Elementary school in Sebring and also works part-time as a supervisor for TrueCore Behavioral at the Bartow Youth Academy, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said English -- with bloodshot and watery eyes -- told them he’d only had one drink after getting off work.
About two hours after English was pulled over, two breath tests revealed he had a blood-alcohol level of .099 and .098, deputies said. The legal limit is .08.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said as someone who works with children, English should lead by example.
“Mr. English is in the position where he serves as a role model for children; students look up to him, and learn from him. People in such a position must be held to a higher standard, and as such, making a decision to drink and drive is just not acceptable," Judd said.
English was booked into the Polk County Jail on a charge of driving under the influence, deputies said. He bonded out later Thursday morning.