Fentress County Jail
Jennifer Choate, a 38-year-old Fentress County elementary school teacher, has been arrested for allegedly showing up to her job at the school while intoxicated.
What Happened?
According to the Fentress County Sheriff’s Office, officers were called to the York Elementary School in Jamestown, Tenessee around 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 29, due to reports that Chaote was acting irregularly.
When the York Elementary School principal and a Fentress County Sheriff’s deputy went to Choate’s classroom, it was reported that she “appeared unsteady on her feet and smelled of alcohol.”
WATE reports that while Choate denied drinking any alcohol, the arrest report says she performed “poorly on an eye exam and agreed to submit to a breathalyzer test.” She subsequently blew a .153 on the breath test, more than twice the legal limit, and was charged with public intoxication.
What Was She Charged With?
Choate was arrested and taken to the Jamestown Police Department, where she allegedly admitted drinking alcohol the night before and again around 4 a.m. that morning. She has since been charged with public drunkenness.
Has This Happened Before?
Choate is certainly not the first teacher to be arrested for public intoxication while teaching, as there have been many similar incidents in recent years.
Melanie Bullard, a 39-year-old Georgia kindergarten teacher, was arrested in March 2017 after school officials found her drunk in class with a loaded gun in her purse. Also in March of 2017, substitute teacher Judith Elizabeth Richards-Gartee was arrested for reportedly being so intoxicated that she puked on the floor.
Similarly, Alabama high school teacher Mae Gladys Edwards and Louisiana teacher Shannon R. Beran were arrested for similar instances of public intoxication.
