Loudoun County special education teacher placed on leave after alleged public intoxication: officials

A special education teacher at a public high school in Loudoun County, Virginia, was reportedly put on paid administrative leave after she was charged Friday with being under the influence of alcohol in public by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

Amy Richards, 60, is a special education teacher at Potomac Falls High School in Loudoun County, where she has taught eight out of her 21 years teaching in the county, according to local WJLA.

Last Friday, someone reportedly notified the school resource officer that Richards appeared to be “under the influence,” according to police. She was later released after county police took her to the county’s detention center before releasing her on her own recognizance, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office daily incident report.

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Brandon Wolfe, the principal of Potomac Falls High School, sent messages to the school community that explained no one was hurt in the incident, according to WJLA.

“I am contacting you with an update to the message I sent earlier today regarding an incident that occurred on our campus involving a staff member,” Wolfe wrote.

“Please see the daily incident report from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office below. As this is a pending law enforcement matter, I cannot offer more details, but please do feel free to reach out to me […] if you have questions or concerns,” Wolfe added.

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Richards has since been placed on paid administrative leave, according to a statement from Loudoun County Public Schools officials.

Brian Nichols, 44, from Palm Springs, California, was arrested last month after the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department received reports of “an intoxicated teacher on a local school campus,” in Thermal, California.

School personnel called authorities just before 10:20 a.m. to report that one of their teachers appeared to be drunk, the sheriff’s department said in a press release.

Fox News’ Stephanie Pagones contributed reporting.