Inset: Philip Scire (Hernando County Jail). Background: Explorer K-8 school in Spring Hill, Florida (Google Maps).
A Florida teacher was allegedly busted for driving drunk on campus — on the second day of school.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office reported in a Facebook post that deputies responded to a single-vehicle accident around 11:43 a.m. Tuesday at the Explorer K-8 campus in Spring Hill, approximately 50 miles north of Tampa. The school resource officer was the first to arrive and found teacher Philip Scire, 32, inside the vehicle that had collided with a fence in the school’s rear parking area.
Scire was allegedly unconscious with the vehicle still in gear.
“The deputy also observed several empty single-serving alcohol containers within reach of Scire,” the press release said.
Scire was taken to the hospital by paramedics for assessment. When deputies spoke with Scire, they noticed he had an odor of alcohol, according to police. Investigators tried several times to gain Scire’s consent for a blood draw to check his blood alcohol level, but he declined, deputies reported.
After being discharged from the hospital, Scire was charged with driving under the influence and taken to the Hernando County Detention Center, where he posted a $1,000 bond. His court appearance is set for September 3. Police note that Scire was also charged with DUI in Broward County in 2014.
Students in Florida returned to classes on Monday. The Explorer school website indicates that Scire teaches language arts to students in grades six through nine.
The Hernando County School District told McClatchy News that the crash was first attributed to a “medical situation.”
“The employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the ongoing investigation,” the statement said.
