Independence principal, Dr. Todd Campbell, had a court date on April 5 in his DUI- 2nd Offense case, but nothing much came of it.
After having a court date postponed from February to April, now it will be until after the school year is over before his next appearance. The middle Tennessee Principal of the Year is scheduled to appear in the Davidson County court on June 28 at 9 a.m. He has not yet entered a plea to the charge, according to the Davidson County Clerk, and his status as a defendant is still pending.
Campbell did not return communications from us and his lawyer, Robert Lee Martin, said he could not comment without his client’s permission.
So far neither Campbell nor Martin have disputed publicly any of the police statements found in the affidavit of arrest. It says that on October 24 last year Campbell, who plead guilty to a DUI in 2009 while in his current job, got into an accident with another driver on Nolensville Road and then, before attempting to flee the scene, offered the other drive cash instead of involving the police. When police arrived Campbell smelled of alcohol, failed field sobriety tests and admitted to having several drinks before consenting to being taken to have his blood drawn for BAC analysis, according to the affidavit.
Clearly for Campbell any judgment would be better if it happened during summer break, as a minimum of 45 days (and maximum of 11 months, 29 days) in jail is one of the punishments in Tennessee for a guilty conviction in a DUI 2nd offense. Other punishments include $600-$3,500 fine; 2-year license suspension with an occupational license available after 1 year and mandatory attending of drug/alcohol program.
District superintendent Dr. Mike Looney has said that Campbell is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the district and that he will not decide whether or not to take any action until the matter is settled in court.
Looney did not return communication for further comment.
Campbell, if the district does not want to fire or suspend him because of his high level of performance, would seem to be getting special treatment.
Whatever they decide to do will set a standard for all employees and send a message to students about what, if any, consequences come from behavior like Dr. Campbell’s. Previously, Campbell plead guilty to a DUI in 2009.
At the risk of editorializing, the school district has barely raised its eyebrows in public, as one of their most visible employees has been charged with his second DUI while being principal of a high school.
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I’ve heard that there are other occurrences in another state, not just here in Tennessee, so it’s actually his FOURTH DUI. Perhaps someone should look into that.
“At the risk of editorializing”? Seriously? This whole article is an editorial with the author’s opinions laced throughout. Please have an editor review for typos and basic grammar and then try taking another stab at an unbiased news article, as a true reporter would do regardless of the content. Our high school students are better writers than this.
You shouldn’t believe everything you hear/read.
Is this Thompson’s Station, TN or Salem, MA? Total witch hunt. Biased and unbalanced reporting.