School officials emphasize safe adult usage, or non-usage, of alcohol in health curriculum, particularly focusing on the importance of not driving while intoxicated. Some parents are likely to be up in arms over the bad example a local school official is setting after his own misdemeanor DUI arrest. A Tampa bay area school administrator has been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol following a late-night weekend incident. Melvin Williams, Jr., who is 31, is the assistant principal of Strawberry Crest High School, which is located in Dover. Williams resides in Riverview.
According to law enforcement officials, Williams was arrested at about 1:40 a.m. this morning. An officer reported observing his vehicle driving erratically near the intersection of Dona Michelle Drive and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. Specifically, Williams was allegedly unable to maintain a single lane with his black Nissan SUV. The police officer pulled over the vehicle, reporting that Williams had the odor of alcohol on his breath. Additionally, he displayed other signs of intoxication, such as poor balance when standing and a glassy-eyed appearance. Williams was arrested for DUI/DWI and, after being booked at the jail, was released on a $500 bond.
The arresting police officer was unable to collect a breath sample from Williams, who refused. Florida provides a serious disincentive for motorists to refuse to submit to breathalyzer tests: driver's license suspension. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is the state agency in charge of administering and maintaining driver's licenses. If a driver is arrested - not convicted - for first-time DUI, the state automatically revokes his license for a period of six months, so long as he does not request and prevail at a formal administrative hearing. If that driver refused to submit to a breath alcohol test, however, the revocation period is one full year. An experienced DUI attorney from Musca Law can advise you of your legal rights if you have been arrested for driving under the influence.
