According to court documents, a special education teacher from Fayette County Public Schools was detained Wednesday morning after hitting a person while driving drunk.
The crash occurred around 6:50 a.m. on Georgetown Road, near Mercer Road. The pedestrian was sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The driver, Jaime Caldwell, 29, fled the scene but was apprehended about 90 minutes later at Glendover Elementary School, where she teaches, police said. She was charged with aggravated DUI and abandoning the scene of an accident/failure to offer aid/assist resulting in death or serious bodily injury.
Her blood-alcohol level was 0.278%, more than three times the legal limit for driving, authorities said.
When officers arrived at the school, they noticed Caldwell’s damaged vehicle and bloodshot eyes, as well as the odour of alcohol on her, according to charge documents.
Caldwell confirmed to officers that she drank Bacardi the night before, according to her arrest citation. According to her arrest citation, she also admitted to taking prescribed medication Wednesday morning.
According to the arrest citation, she told officers that she heard a thump while driving but was unaware that she had hit someone. She failed many field sobriety tests.
Dia Davidson-Smith, the district’s spokesman, verified that Caldwell is a learning and behaviour disorder teacher at Glendover Elementary and is now on administrative leave.
“Fayette County Public Schools is aware of the situation involving (Jaime) Caldwell. Due to the ongoing investigation and the confidential nature of personnel matters, we are limited in what we can share at this time,” the school district said in a statement.
According to Whitcomb, the Collision Reconstruction Unit is examining the crash. According to police, additional charges are possible.
