Teacher arrested for alleged DUI, child endangerment

Michaela Harris, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
Updated ·2 min read

Oct. 3—Nuestro Elementary School second grade teacher Wendy Ann Munson, 57, was arrested by the Sutter County Sheriff's Office on Monday morning for allegedly driving to school and teaching while under the influence of alcohol.

According to officials, deputies arrived at Nuestro Elementary School in Live Oak at around 8:20 a.m. and made contact with Munson who was actively teaching her students at the time.

Deputies determined that Munson displayed signs and symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol. After viewing footage of Munson driving to school and a failed sobriety test, she was ultimately arrested for a potential DUI and child endangerment.

Officials said that Munson's blood alcohol content was two times over the legal limit nearly two hours after the first contact with deputies. Munson was booked into the Sutter County Jail and remained in custody as of press time on Tuesday.

The parents of students in Munson's class were formally notified of the incident by Superintendent Baljinder Dhillon. In a letter to parents, Dhillon confirmed that law enforcement arrested Munson after she exhibited signs of intoxication, and that students did not witness this incident. A long-term substitute will be placed in Munson's class until further notice, she said.

"Our students' safety and well-being remain our highest priority. The district remains committed to ensuring that every child in our district is able to learn and thrive in a healthy, safe environment. We appreciate our staff for promptly reporting concerns to administration and the Sheriff's Department for responding quickly with minimal disruption," Dhillon said in a statement.

Nuestro Elementary School will not be answering administrative questions at this time, officials said.

Some parents and former staff members of Nuestro Elementary claim that Munson's conduct has been previously reported to administrators, but appeared to be "swept under the rug."

According to email correspondence between a parent and Dhillon, Munson was speculated to have been involved in similar incidents, which were brought to Dhillon's attention over the course of a few years.

In the email, Dhillon stated, "We had one incident in the past that was thoroughly investigated, and we didn't have any proof to support those allegations."