The Santa Clarita Signal reports that a teacher from Rancho Pico Junior High School was arrested on school grounds on Monday. She faces charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, possession of alcohol on school grounds, possession of a weapon (taser) on school property, and child endangerment.
Spokesperson for the Santa Clarita County Sheriff’s Station, Deputy Natalie Arriaga, told reporters that sheriff’s deputies responded to a call from the school that a teacher on campus was possibly intoxicated.
Emilee Renison, 27, of Santa Clarita, who was working as a probationary teacher at the school, had just returned to campus in her vehicle when the deputies met her.
According to Deputy Arriaga, the deputies conducted a series of field sobriety tests and determined that Renison was under the influence of alcohol. Deputies also searched Renison’s vehicle and found an open container of alcohol and a taser.
Renison was booked into the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and remains in custody as of Tuesday, April 19. A judge has set Renison’s bail at $100,000.
Acting spokesperson for the William S. Hart Union School District, Dave Caldwell, said that school officials had received information suggesting that a teacher they had just hired was possibly under the influence while at school. The district called the Sheriff’s Office to investigate the matter.
“We are cooperating fully with law enforcement,” Caldwell said. “The teacher is on leave pending investigation and disciplinary proceedings.”