METHUEN — Methuen High School Assistant Principal Donald Gibson is on probation and his license is suspended, because police arrested him for drunken driving in Amesbury.
Amesbury police stopped Gibson on Interstate 495 about 12:25 a.m. on April 25. Gibson, 47, told police he drank five beers. He left The Winners Circle sports bar and restaurant on Route 110 in Salisbury and was heading home to Dracut, according to police reports.
Police charged him with operating under the influence of liquor (a second offense) and a marked lanes violation. Gibson admitted to sufficient facts during a hearing in Newburyport District Court on July 14, meaning he conceded that if the case went to trial, prosecutors had enough evidence to prove the charges.
"It happened in my personal life. It's over with and I'm putting it behind me," Gibson said during an interview yesterday.
Judge Peter Doyle suspended Gibson's license for 90 days, starting July 14. The judge also sentenced Gibson to two years of probation, and ordered him to undergo driver alcohol education and pay $600 in fines, plus a $65 monthly probation fee, court documents say.
The judge continued the drunken driving charge without a finding for two years and found Gibson not responsible for the marked lanes violation.
Gibson is still on the job and he'll be in school when students return to class Wednesday, Superintendent Jeanne Whitten said.
"I think that he should use this as an opportunity to really help kids understand how problematic drinking and driving is," Whitten said.
Gibson's first drunken-driving offense was more than two decades ago. He was arraigned for operating under the influence of liquor in Lowell District Court on Jan. 2, 1981, according to the police report from his arrest in Amesbury.
