Lockport elementary school principal pleads guilty to DWAI

Ben Joe, Niagara Gazette, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Updated ·1 min read

Aug. 3—The principal of Roy B. Kelley Elementary School pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired by alcohol and was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge Wednesday in City Court.

Heather B. Walton, 49, of Lewiston, was charged with driving while intoxicated on May 22, after crashing her vehicle into a tree on Davison Road. At the time she told Lockport police that she'd had two mixed drinks three hours before the late-afternoon collision. According to the arrest report, Walton failed all field sobriety tests and refused a Breathalyzer test.

With her plea to DWAI, Walton received a conditional discharge in the case, meaning that if she stays out of trouble for one year, she won't face harsher penalties. The charge will remain on her record, though.

The impact of conviction on Walton's employment status with Lockport City School District could not be determined Wednesday. Superintendent Mathis Calvin III said via email that the district "as of this evening ... has not been informed of any legal changes that are a part of this case. Because this matter involves a personnel issue ... we are unable to comment further."

Since May, Barb Converso has been the substitute principal at Kelley Elementary.