A vehicle that drove off the road twice was pulled over shortly after midnight Thursday morning, March 26, 2020, and the driver was subsequently arrested and charged by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for Driving Under the Influence (M1). Two breath-tests revealed 48-year-old Willie English, Jr. of Avon Park was over the legal limit and impaired.
English told deputies that he is the Dean of Students at Sun ‘N Lake Elementary school in Sebring, and also works part-time as a supervisor for TrueCore Behavioral at the Bartow Youth Academy.
“Mr. English is in the position where he serves as a role model for children; students look up to him, and learn from him. People in such a position must be held to a higher standard, and as such, making a decision to drink and drive is just not acceptable.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.
English was driving a black 2019 Ford F-150 in the area of Avon Park Cutoff Road and Highway 98 East in Fort Meade at about 12:17 a.m., Thursday, when a PCSO deputy saw the Ford’s tires leave the right side of the roadway twice.
After conducting a traffic stop on the truck and making contact with English, the deputy noticed his eyes were bloodshot and watery. English told the deputy that he only had one (alcoholic) drink after getting off work.
At 1:56 a.m., the deputy began a required 20-minute observation of English before requesting a breath-test. Two tests were performed and showed that English had a breath-alcohol level of .099 and .098 (the legal limit is .08), about two hours after being pulled over.
English bonded out of the Polk County Jail later in the morning.
