Substitute teacher accused of drinking box of wine in front of students

A substitute teacher who was arrested last week is accused of drinking alcohol from a box while in a classroom, according to reports.

Lexington School District 2 stated in a release that a substitute teacher at Brookland-Cayce High School was behaving erratically Friday morning and appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

Administrators went to the classroom around 9:45 a.m. and found Judith Elizabeth Richards-Gartee throwing up and unable to stand, according to the law enforcement incident report released Monday.

The administration removed her from the classroom in a wheelchair and sent her to a school resource officer.

The officer, a Lexington County deputy, reported he discovered a box of wine in Richards-Gartee’s open handbag.

Students told the deputy she was consuming the wine during class, the report stated.

Richards-Gartee was taken to the nurse’s office. EMS then transported her to Lexington Medical Center.

Richards-Gartee, 52, of Irmo was charged with disorderly conduct, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.

The school district said Richards-Gartee works for temporary employee agency Kelly Services.

The district contracts with Kelly Services to provide their schools with substitute teachers.

This story was originally published March 13, 2017 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Substitute teacher accused of drinking box of wine in front of students."