A California teacher will not face charges eight months after she appeared to be drunk in her second-grade classroom. Wendy Munson, 57, reportedly drove to work as usual at Nuestro Elementary School in Live Oak on October 2, 2023. Soon after she arrived, deputies from the Sutter County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to the school. They arrived around 8:20 a.m. after receiving a report of a staff member who appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They reportedly found Munson acting suspiciously.
KCRA reported in October that video footage showed Munson driving to school that morning and that she reportedly failed a field sobriety test after deputies arrived at the school. She was arrested on suspicion of DUI and child endangerment, but it seems there was insufficient evidence in the case, and Munson will not be charged.
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Reportedly, the teacher's blood alcohol level was extremely high.
Munson's blood alcohol level was measured twice and came back at 0.20% and 019%, both more than twice the legal limit, according to the Los Angeles Times. In California, a motorist is considered intoxicated when their blood alcohol level is 0.08%.
Munson allegedly appeared to be under the influence while in the classroom, but per the Times, investigators couldn't prove when she began drinking.
She apparently didn't seem drunk when she got out of the car.
Sutter County District Attorney Jennifer Dupré told the Times that video footage of Munson driving that morning exists, but it doesn't prove she was intoxicated while operating her vehicle.
"She doesn't get out of the car and tumble or anything, so that didn't help us," Dupré said.
Even though it was hard to prove she was drunk while she was driving, it was also reportedly difficult to pin endangerment charges on Munson.
Dupré said prosecutors had to prove Munson's students were in actual danger.
In this situation, she said prosecutors couldn't do that. She explained to the Times, "The person has to have placed them in a position where they are in danger, not might be in danger."
Dupré added there is no excuse for what Munson allegedly did. "The behavior is reprehensible," she said. "But it doesn't violate the penal code to teach kids when they're drunk."
It appears Munson was once the educator of the year.
Duke Harriger shared a post about Munson on Facebook in March 2023. He congratulated her for being named 2023 Sutter County Educator of the Year. Harriger posted photos of the event that show Munson being honored for her time in the Nuestro Elementary School District classroom.
"Congratulations Wendy Munson for receiving the 2023 Educator of the Year! You deserve it!!! So proud of you! Outstanding ceremony! All about the kids!" Harriger wrote on Facebook.
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It is unclear whether Munson has been fired.
Dupré said the incident was a personal matter with the school district. Munson's employment status is unclear. She is not listed as a teacher on the Nuestro Elementary School District website, and the district's Facebook page recently posted a job listing for a second-grade teacher.
