Details of teacher arrest not likely to be released for weeks
| Wednesday, Sep 09 2009 04:54 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Sep 09 2009 04:56 PM
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It may be several weeks before the details of a school teacher being arrested while drunk or under the influence of drugs in class are released, officials said Wednesday.
The Kern County Sheriff's Department is refusing to release any details on the Friday arrest of Larry Michaels, 44, a sixth-grade teacher at Curran Middle School.
Therefore, it is unclear whether Michaels was arrested because he was under the influence of alcohol, prescription drugs or some other substance such as paint or glue.
Michaels was also arrested on a misdemeanor charge of child endangerment, records show.
The details of those charges won't be public unless Michaels is charged with crimes in court, and that may not be for two or three weeks, prosecutors said.
If he's charged, it takes about a week to remove personal information from the reports so they can be released publicly. That's a step to guard against identity theft.
Michaels has no local criminal record, and school officials have not commented on whether he has any disciplinary record. He is on paid administrative, according to district officials.
In the meantime, sheriff deputies are releasing only vague details about Michaels' arrest.
A school staff member thought Michaels was under the influence of something, and that prompted a call at about noon Friday to the sheriff's department.
Michaels was asked leave his classroom and meet a deputy in an administrative office.
Senior Deputy Michael Whorf said he cannot answer questions such as whether Michaels smelled of alcohol or if there was an indication some other drug or substance was involved.
Whorf said tests to determine a suspect's intoxication level are "usually not" administered in such cases.
That contrasts with drunken driving cases in which the tests are almost always administered.
A person responsible for children is sometimes arrested on child endangerment charges if an officer believes he is in such a state he exposes the children to danger, Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Saleen said.
It's a common to charge a drunken driver with child endangerment if a child is in the car, Saleen said.
Each case is evaluated on its merits and so far, the reports have not been presented to the district attorney's office, Saleen said.
