On Jan. 21, the superintendent of Uxbridge Public Schools in Massachusetts, Michael Baldassarre, was arrested and accused of drinking and driving after the police state trooper that pulled him over said he smelled of alcohol and his eyes were glassy and bloodshot.
According to court documents, Baldassarre was driving at 100 miles per hour in a 65 zone when he almost crashed into another car on Interstate 495 North near the small town of Bolton, located less than 50 miles west of Boston.
Baldassarre, 51, was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol and negligent driving and faces civil infractions for speeding and marked lanes violation, NBC Boston reported. He was released on personal recognizance after his arraignment in Clinton District Court on Jan. 21.
"Its something he's going to have to deal with and Mike's a decent person, a single dad, he has a teenage son. He'll have to explain a lot of this," said Uxbridge School Committee Chair Ben Casper.
After the news broke out, the Uxbridge School Committee voted to place Baldassarre on paid administrative. They entered an executive session to discuss an employee for nearly 45 minutes before selecting Assistant Superintendent Karen Dwyer to serve as the interim superintendent. "One of our members of our community is hurting, and we're deeply saddened by the events," Dwyer said on Jan. 21.
While addressing the committee and the public, Dwyer added she was "happy to suit up and continue that steady stream, that consistency for the district, because this is a terrific town with an amazing leadership team."
The school committee said it would set a date in the next seven to 10 days to meet with Baldassarre's legal counsel team to discuss what do to next.
According to court documents, Baldassarre was arrested at 2:40 a.m. on Jan. 18 when he was stopped by Massachusetts State Police. The trooper's narrative described Baldassarre as "uncooperative" when he was taken to the Leominster barracks.
Investigators said they found a receipt from a Worcester bar on him, which listed wine, liquor and beer as charges.
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