Oklahoma third grade teacher arrested for allegedly being drunk at work

PERKINS, Okla. (KOCO) — A teacher in Payne County left school grounds handcuffed Thursday because he was reportedly under the influence of alcohol.

Perkins police said school officials began to have suspicions about 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 employee to give Coates a breathalyzer test. She was subsequently arrested and taken off the property.

“He determined she was under the influence of alcohol, and she blew into a PBT and confirmed she had alcohol in her system,” Perkins police sergeant said. Spencer Gedon. “The school got to grips with it quickly. As soon as there was a concern about that teacher, they jumped in and did what they had to do, and they did everything they could to make sure everyone was safe in the school.”

The Superintendent’s office issued a statement on the matter and said the district is cooperating with law enforcement as they continue to investigate the matter. They also said that the district’s number one priority is to provide a safe learning environment for students.

Get the latest interesting news stories by clicking here.

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 showed she was three times over the legal limit for alcohol consumption.

They also found a recently used cup that smelled of alcohol in her purse in her classroom.

Police say Coates could be charged with public intoxication. They said the incident is still under investigation.