LAKE COUNTY — Upper Lake Union High School (ULUHS) assistant principal Don Boyd was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol Feb. 6, according to a booking detail sheet found at the Lake County Sheriff”s Web site, www.lakesheriff.com.
Boyd was pulled over for speeding as he drove a 2000 Jeep Wrangler north on Highway 29 just south of the highway”s intersection with Highway 175.
Boyd was arrested at 8:55 p.m. by California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Barnes, according to the booking sheet. He was booked on a misdemeanor DUI count and released an hour and a half later. Boyd is still employed as the assistant principal at ULUHS, according to principal Patrick Iaccino.
“We have no grounds to dismiss him,” Iaccino said Tuesday. Iaccino said a number of phone conversations with the school”s attorney John Drummond have not yielded legal advice about the arrest.
“Just because you may have an arrest doesn”t mean you have a conviction,” Iaccino said.
CHP officer Adam Garcia said Boyd”s blood alcohol level could not be released. Garcia said that in addition to the charge on Boyd”s booking sheet, he was also charged under a second section of California Vehicle Code that applies when a person”s blood alcohol level is more than the legal limit of .08 percent.
“He is presumed innocent under California law, which prohibits employers from taking any action based solely on an arrest that has not become a conviction,” Upper Lake Union School District attorney John Drummond said.
Drummond added, “If there is a conviction, they (the school board) would have to look at it ? in light of the fact that it happened off the job ? in terms of how it would affect the school district and also the job performance, and make a decision then based on that.”
“We are dealing with this from within from a personal perspective, but I can”t share what that would be,” Iaccino said.
Iaccino added, “We”re concerned with that issue nationwide, not only with educators but with anybody with any type of status, whether it”s a priest, an athlete, educators or parents. Anytime you deal with that it”s not something you want to see happen, but it also gives us an opportunity to have a discussion with our students that this is something they have to be very, very much aware of. And Don (Boyd) would be the first to admit that, as well.”
Phone messages left for Boyd were not returned as the Record-Bee went to press Tuesday.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com
