WALTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Walton County teacher has resigned after a fall outside her school led to an investigation that, in turn, led to a public drunkenness charge.
A spokesperson for the school system confirmed that Tara Stewart, a teacher at Walker Park Elementary School, was believed to be under the influence of some substance upon arriving at the campus on Nov. 5.
The school system didn't elaborate on what exactly led them to the discovery but said that the Walton County Sheriff's Office was contacted and completed an investigation outside of the school.
Reports filed by responding deputies provide a better idea of what allegedly happened. Around 8:20 a.m., the schools' principal, Brian Hobbs, requested an ambulance after a teacher had fallen in the parking lot.
A deputy arrived to find the woman, identified in the report as Stewart, sitting in the lot with her legs stretched out in front of her. She was being propped up by the school nurse and had a cut to her arm, a bandage on her finger and a bruise on her forehead according to the report.
The responding deputy stated that Stewart "appeared to be very confused" and refused treatment.
"Mrs. Stewart kept repeating that she needed to go to her classroom to teach her children and that she did not want to go anywhere else," the report states.
The report added an examination from the deputy that described Stewart's eyes as "unfocused, watery, and bloodshot."
According to the report, the deputy then nodded yes when asked by the nurse if she smelled anything unusual. Stewart continued to deny treatment or transport to the hospital as paramedics on the scene continued to urge it.
After being requested by the responding deputy, supervisors arrived and "advised Mrs. Stewart an odor of alcohol was smelled emitting from her, and that she appeared to be under the influence of alcohol."
During the incident, the report states Stewart "adamantly denied" a breathalyzer test. After further questioning and the findings of sheriff's office supervisors on the scene, Stewart was taken into custody for public drunkenness.
The report showed that further investigation also uncovered that she may have been tied to a suspicious vehicle call earlier in the morning.
"The vehicle was reported as failure to maintain lane," the report said adding that, "they were unable to locate the vehicle, however, the vehicle driven by Mrs. Stewart to the school matches the tag number and description given for that call."
A school system spokesperson said that officials later accepted Stewart's resignation. According to a staff synopsis on the Walton County Schools website, Stewart was a second-grade teacher at the school and had been with the district since 2001.
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