FORTVILLE — An aide in a Mt. Vernon kindergarten classroom was arrested Tuesday after she came to school drunk, police said.
Angela Gendron, 45, of McCordsville was arrested on a charge of public intoxication after testing at three times the legal limit and is being held in the Hancock County Jail on $400 cash bond, records show.
Gendron worked as an instructional assistant at Fortville Elementary School and was staffing a kindergarten classroom Tuesday morning at the time of her arrest.
Two staffers told the elementary school’s principal Gendron smelled of alcohol, and the principal called 911, investigators said.
Empty beer cans were found in the school building as well as in Gendron’s car, police said.
A breathalyzer test showed Gendron had a blood-alcohol content of .24 percent, three times the legal driving limit of .08 percent, police said.
Gendron was arrested on a charge of public intoxication as a Class B misdemeanor, which carries a penalty of up to 180 days in jail and $1,000 in fines.
Gendron was immediately suspended without pay from her position with the school district, and she will be recommended for termination, officials said.
Shane Robbins, superintendent of Mt. Vernon Community School District, said in a statement that he was disappointed by the allegations but thankful other staffers acted promptly when faced with an apparent threat to student safety.
“This is an unfortunate situation, but our staff acted quickly, and there was little to no disruption to the school day,” Robbins said.
Gendron is the third Mt. Vernon Schools employee to face criminal charges in the past two months.
In early April, a teacher’s aide at Mt. Vernon Middle School and former substitute teacher for the district was charged with four felonies stemming from allegations she had sexual relationships with at least two high school students.
Kisha Nuckols, 38, faces two Level 5 felony counts and one Level 6 felony count of child seduction along with one Level 6 felony count of dissemination of matters harmful to minors.
Nuckols was terminated from her position after her arrest and pleaded not guilty to the charges; her case is pending in Hancock Circuit Court.
Scott Shipley, principal at Mt. Vernon Middle School, was charged three weeks later with a Class B misdemeanor of failure to report. Police say Shipley knew of the allegations against Nuckols for 17 days before detectives were called to investigate; state law requires that suspicions of child abuse be reported immediately, prosecutors said.
Shipley remains employed with the district. He was not arrested and waived his right to an initial hearing, pleading not guilty to the charge he faces. His case is pending in Hancock County Superior Court 2.