Kelly superintendent charged with DWI

Kelly School District superintendent Donald J. Moore was arrested by the Missouri State Highway Patrol early Saturday in Scott County on a charge of driving while intoxicated, according to a highway patrol arrest report.

Moore, 57, of Whitewater was arrested at 1:19 a.m. Saturday and put on a 12-hour hold at the Scott County Jail, the report states. Missouri State Highway Patrol public information officer Cpl. Clark Parrott said there is no bond with the 12-hour hold.

Parrott said Moore was stopped for a traffic violation, and upon further investigation, Moore was found to be intoxicated. His vehicle was secured roadside at Kingshighway and U.S. 61.

Assistant superintendent Fara Jones said Moore was working part time this year. He was principal from 1997 to 2001, and has been superintendent since 2001, she said in an email to the Southeast Missourian.

Jones released a statement on the matter via email: "It is unfortunate that this has happened. I have the utmost confidence that our board of education will investigate it thoroughly. I believe that they will make a decision based on what is best for the students and staff of our district."

When the Southeast Missourian reached out to Moore on Monday, he declined to comment.

The school board meets the second Thursday of every month and just gathered Feb. 13, Jones said. What happens next, she said, depends on "what happens on the other end of things. I'm not sure what all process takes place when someone gets a DWI. We'll have to wait and see what comes to us and go from there."

If a driver suspected of DWI refuses a sobriety test, their license will be revoked for a year through the state Department of Revenue. If someone is arrested on suspicion of DWI, Parrott said, it turns into two different cases -- the criminal side and the administrative side through the Department of Revenue.

Parrott said even if a DWI suspect is not convicted, they could still lose their license.

"If you abuse your privilege to drive in Missouri, the Department of Revenue is going to take notice of that and take measures to make sure you get it figured out," he said.

And if someone gets too many points against their driver's license in a short period of time, Parrott said, that person will get a letter from the Department of Revenue saying their license has been suspended for 30 days because of a point violation.

Last year alone, Parrott said, the highway patrol made more than 10,000 DWI and boating-while-intoxicated arrests.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

Pertinent address:

4035 State Highway 77, Benton, Mo.