Ashburn Teacher: I Did Not Drink On Campus
Michael L. Hitzges tells ABC News he had been drinking the night before being charged with being drunk in public at his school.
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The Broad Run High School driving instructor who was charged Monday with being drunk in public at the school says he did not drink any alcohol on school grounds.
Michael L. Hitzges, 47, of Ashburn, a biology teacher and driver education instructor, faces charges of drunk in public, at the school, after someone alerted the school resource officer assigned to Broad Run.
"I wasn't drinking at school," Hitzges told ABC News Channel 7 outside his Loudoun County apartment Tuesday. "I had some drinks the night before, woke up and went to work. I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't put anyone in jeopardy."
The ABC report does not indicate whether Hitzges instructed students in a vehicle Monday morning.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office was unable to answer that question from Patch early Tuesday.
“They’re looking into that right now,” said Loudon County Sheriff's spokeswoman Liz Mills told Patch.
Hitzges told ABC he did not believe he was drunk at school.
Hitzges has been with Loudoun County Public Schools since 2002 and has been teaching at Broad Run since 2004, Loudoun County Public Schools spokesman Wayde Byard told Patch.
Patch will update this story as more information becomes available.
Read: High School Teacher Accused of Being Drunk at School
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The previous information was supplied by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and, where charges were made, does not indicate a conviction. For questions about this article, email dusty@patch.com.
[Patch senior editor Todd Richissin contributed to this story.]
Kathy Adlam
8:57 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
No one knows the whole story. Has anyone ever gone out the night before going to work and had too much to drink? Yeah, it was stupid. But don't be so quick to judge. Give the guy a break. His son goes to that school.....if anything, give his son a break.
Randy Rawson
10:28 am on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
For ANYONE whose kids have attended Broad Run over the last several years and been uninvolved witnesses, this is, unfortunately, old news. We do need to know the whole story, but, I'm afraid, many already do know the whole story based on past performances. On the merits: first, he should have thought of his son before exposing himself to these types of charges. Second, I have gone out the night before going to work, but I have not gotten behind the wheel of a car full of students to "teach" them the rights and wrongs of vehicular operation. Nor have I attempted to participate in classroom activity and "teach." Teachers have a public trust; the trust in this instance has been broken. The lesson for students now becomes what the consequences of this type of activity are.
MC
2:27 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
" Let he who is without sin throw the first stone '
EL
11:54 am on Monday, March 11, 2013
If we can't determine/prove his BAC at the time of the infraction, then any discussion of this is a waste of time and money for the county. Keep an eye on him to make sure he isn't indulging at the start of the day, and let's move on.
Cher
10:23 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Anyone check his blood sugar levels? Any chance this teacher is diabetic and doesn't know it? Often Hypoglycemia can mimic drunkenness, and excessive alcohol can lower sugar levels.
Marcus Aurelius
8:19 pm on Friday, March 15, 2013
When news media publicize such a serious incident, they are obligated to follow up on the story. The question of the teacher's BAC is crucial to this arrest. If the is insufficient evidence to convict this man, if he is innocent of this charge, how can he ever recover his reputation in the Loudoun community? Dusty Smith and Todd Richissin now have a heavy journalistic responsibility to keep their readers informed.