UGOTNERVE received this article from The Times Dispatch, which reports that a high school educator has been charged with driving under the influence. He is also the coach for wrestling and a science instructor.
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The Henrico County school administration doesn’t plan to take action against a Deep Run High School coach and teacher who faces multiple traffic offenses, including driving under the influence.
“This did not involve school activities, and we don’t plan to take any action,” said school-system spokesman Mychael Dickerson. “He’ll have to deal with his situation in the court system.”
Douglas E. Houtz, 44, was arrested minutes after midnight Saturday, apparently after a police officer noticed that the right front headlight on Houtz’s car was out.
He was charged with driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license, and driving with defective equipment, all misdemeanors, according to court records.
Reached last night, the Houtz family said Houtz would have no comment.
“This has been devastating for us,” a family member said.
Legal problems for the wrestling coach and science teacher come after widespread concerns about underage drinking in Henrico County and other Richmond-area jurisdictions.
More than 400 people crowded into Deep Run High School’s auditorium last winter to discuss the problem in the wake of a New Year’s Day 2007 traffic fatality involving Deep Run student Sarah Ann Haislip.
Haislip, then 16, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to a year in juvenile detention and jail.
Other drinking cases during the past year have involved more than a dozen underage University of Richmond students. Also, multiple charges have been brought against adults who knew underage drinking was in progress in their home or who purchased alcohol.
Hundreds of arrests have been made in the Richmond area during the past 18 months.
A few hundred yards from where Houtz was stopped Sunday morning, near Interstate 295 and Staples Mill Road, was the site of a fatal alcohol-related crash July 5 that killed Derrick Beckner, a James Madison University student and Hermitage High School graduate, who lived nearby.
“It’s going to take a lot more, I guess, to make people understand what is going on,” Beckner’s father, Edward, said last night. “I keep coming back to the courts. They have to stop treating these cases as though they are just something that happens and you have to get past.”
Police yesterday said that Houtz’s charge of driving on a suspended license stemmed from his failure to respond promptly to a Department of Motor Vehicles random check of insurance coverage.
Court records show that the same officer who stopped Houtz on Sunday morning had stopped him Dec. 2, also a Sunday morning.
At that time, Houtz was charged with driving an unlicensed motor vehicle and reckless driving.
Houtz, who resides in the 10400 block of Leander Drive in the Bretton Woods subdivision off Staples Mill Road, faces a Jan. 17 court date.
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After everything that they put other educators through for non-related school activities, can you believe that Mychael Dickerson, the school system’s spokesperson said, “This does not involve school activities, and we don’t plan to take any action. He’ll have to deal with his situation in the court system.”
We find Dickerson’s comments on behalf of Morton and the board very interesting, very discriminatory, and very wrong. How is it that the district officials feel no responsibility for issuing discipline regarding this educator when Virginia’s code clearly notes that “moral turpitude”, such as driving under the influence with a suspended license, is grounds for immediate suspension…but again, we must remind our readers that there is a different standard for white educators, parents, and students, under Morton and this board than African-Americans. Well, it is more grounds than an educator being suspended for “preparing” and “sending” an email to the superintendent without his permission or without him having asked for a response. Lucas’ attorneys should have a field day with this one as one more example of discriminatory discipline!
HENRICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS THEIR HEART AND PRIORITIES IN THE WRONG PLACE!
A Ninth District Court judge made this statement, “The court has been known to engage in long, esoteric debates on what Merriam-Webster defines as “inherent baseness” or “depravity.” On Wednesday, the evolving definition settled here: Drunken driving isn’t turpitude. Drunken driving without a license is. (*Retrieved from www.law.com) Hmmmmm……we wonder why Henrico does not see it that way?
Well, the evidence is mounting in support of what we know The Office of Civil Rights’ investigation will confirm, Henrico County Public Schools, under the leadership of Fred Morton, with the counsel of Wendell Roberts, under the boardship of these school board members promotes, encourages, and even defends “institutionalized racism” among its employees, parents, and students.
Racism is a mental illness that can be treated IF the one that is afflicted with the mental illness ADMITS they have a problem, no longer seeks to HIDE or COVER UP the problem, and puts forth a valid effort to CORRECT and RECOVER from the illness. And do not be fooled, blacks as well as whites can and do suffer from this mental illness throughout Henrico County Public Schools and beyond.
The question is, will the epidemic stop here or continue to be nurtured to the destruction of us all?
Everyone in life makes mistakes they are not too proud of. Unfortunately the media decided to slam Mr. Houtz due to the fact that he happens to be a teacher on the “upper-class” side of town. Well to all of these readers you can certainly bet your next pay check that a few police officers, judges, lawyers,doctors, and possibly yourself have all left a party or clients house having too much to drink, among other things. It was a disgrace to put a man of his stature through such a living hell. His family suffered as much as he did. How about printing some of the good things he has contributed to his community, school and church. Why don’t some of you do the research on that and print it? Did it occur to anyone he may have had some serious problems of his own and maybe went about soul searching the wrong way. Nobody is perfect as much as we would all like to think, cursing is a sin… how many of you do that? How many of you speed to make it through the yellow light? How many of you swear when you spill your coffee in your lap? It’s very easy to judge someone else, but before you do, take a long look in the mirror. You’re not so perfect either.
Ms. Ford,
It is because of people like you, that make excuses for the adults that are responsible for the futures of our children, that permit those that should not be over our children to continue to be over them to negatively impact their lives.
Why did YOU not choose to speak out or send us a message about the atrocities that were going on in Henrico schools against innocent children? Why did YOU not feel compelled to defend the welfare, lives, and safety of children for all of these months? Instead, you have done exactly what Fred Morton, his cronies, and the school board have done time and time again, placed adults over the needs of children. SHAME ON YOU! Nobody cares how much of a “nice guy” one is if the “nice guy” poses any form of a threat to children. There are a lot of child molesters that one would consider to be “nice guys.” Yes, this teacher may have done good things, and yes he may have had personal problems, but the reality is that Henrico’s children should be protected from these types of people AND he should have been removed in order to get the help that he needed BEFORE he was put back in the classroom with children that need him to be a role model. If Fred and them had cared about either the teacher or the student, they would have done this, but they did not, so they did not.
Ms. Ford, stop making excuses, saying that “we are not perfect” we don’t have to be, but we need to use the sense that God gave us. We are waiting for you comments defending Henrico’s children like you defended this teacher….where is it at?
Ms Ford – Are you a parent or are you one of the people who sat on the side line. Why is this particular person so important for you to defend. What is your status of employment? If you work with adults, your rationale is ludicrous and if you work with children or is a stay at home mother, or no mother at all, surely you are not condoning this type of conduct from an adult? It is unbelievable that you would even use the old cliche’ of one “not being perfect.” I bet that you know someone who is a parent and have children in school or perhaps one day, you yourself may become a parent – would you want this type of person working with your child? Remember, one thing leads to another. Lives have been taken by people who drink and drive. Families have been destroyed because of people that you defend or this one particular person that you are defending. It is rather peculiar that you selected this poor excuse for an educator to defend. Why? Moreover, could it be that maybe you are an abuser of alochol too? Could this be the defense that you are using to hide your times that you have been drinking and driving? Just to encourage you and your defense of this DUI person, stop looking for excuses and make a difference to help him or {you} change. Everyone deserves to live free from harm. It is our responsibility as law abiding citizens to help make this happen. So, stop with the excuses and get on with helping to make this a safer environment for children and others. This would be a better use of your time. Call AA and see how you could help us to help others.