By Emily R. West and Franklin Home Page
Newly resigned Independence High School principal Todd Campbell will face jail time after pleading guilty to his second driving under the influence charge in a Davidson County Court on Tuesday morning.
Judge Dianne Turner read Campbell his guilty plea, explaining he will go to jail for 45 days with 25 of those spent in a cell and the remaining time spent in an inpatient treatment center. Campbell will also go through an alcohol safety course and lose his license for two years. Judge Turner said it would become possible for Campbell to potentially obtain a restrictive license. He will have monthly probation upon his release.
If Campbell were to encounter a third or fourth offense, Turner said he could experience anywhere from 120 to 150 days in prison.
Metro-Nashville Police officers arrested Campbell on Oct. 24 for his second driving under the influence charge in the past seven years. The arresting officer reported that he smelled alcohol on Campbell and performed standard field sobriety tests, which included testing horizontal gaze, walking in a straight line and standing on one leg. When asked how much he had had to drink, he stated he’d had three beers and a Grey Goose vodka.
His previous DUI incident happened in 2009, where he underwent a year of probation with his license suspended for the duration. Prior to that in 1998, authorities charged Campbell for driving on a suspended license.
The penalties for a second charge in Tennessee include 45 days to a year in jail, as well as a two-year license suspension.
His official last day with Williamson County Schools was June 28.
During his time at Independence, Campbell was named the Middle Tennessee Principal of the Year in 2015. He was the second principal of the school since its opening in 2004.
Campbell started his tenure in the Williamson County Schools system in 2001 when he became assistant principal at Franklin High School while Dallas Johnson acted as the superintendent of schools. Previously, Campbell taught in Kentucky and in Davidson County. He attended Western Kentucky University and Trevecca Nazarene University.
Emily West covers Franklin and Williamson County government and schools for Home Page Media Group. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter via @emwest22.
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This couldn’t have happened to a better person. During his tenure at Franklin there were numerous times where this man went out of his way to make life difficult for white students. I can speak from personal experience this man was a blatant racist and used his power to do whatever he pleased. He won’t teach again in Tennessee. Good riddance.