A Kentucky grade school special ed teacher is facing multiple felony charges after she allegedly got behind the wheel drunk and collided with a pedestrian on her way to work. She then continued to school without stopping or calling 911 for help.
Jamie Caldwell, 29, a Lexington Glendover Elementary School instructor, was arrested on April 16, 2025, after police identified her as the driver in a hit-and-run crash that left a pedestrian seriously injured.
The accident reportedly occurred around 6:45 a.m. in Lexington, Kentucky. According to witnesses, a vehicle struck a pedestrian walking along the road and took off without slowing down. Emergency crews transported the unidentified victim to a local hospital, where reports say they remain in critical condition.
Caldwell reportedly taught class like nothing happened
According to the police report, surveillance video and eyewitness accounts helped identify the vehicle in the accident, which belonged to Caldwell. She was in her classroom at Glendover Elementary when officers arrived.
Officers reported extensive front-end damage to Caldwell’s vehicle and said they smelled alcohol. Reports say Caldwell admitted she drank alcohol the night before and said she took prescription drugs that morning.
According to the arrest affidavit, she claimed she “heard a thud” while driving but did not realize she had hit a person.
“She was visibly shaken when we told her someone had been seriously hurt,” the responding officer wrote in their report. “But she showed no signs of having attempted to call for help or report the incident before going to work.”
Officers administered roadside sobriety tests on Caldwell, who registered a blood alcohol content more than three times what’s permitted under Kentucky law.
Caldwell was charged with drunk driving, her first offense, leaving the site of an accident involving injured people, and wanton endangerment in the first degree. Caldwell paid her bail and is expected back in court on April 29.
“It’s horrifying,” one parent said
The news sent shockwaves across the Fayette County school district. In a press release issued after her arrest, Fayette County Public Schools stated that Caldwell was placed on administrative leave pending the results of both the police and internal investigations.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff is our highest priority. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement,” the district’s statement read.
Parents at Glendover Elementary were outraged and dismayed by the fact that Caldwell was permitted to instruct students when allegedly under the influence.
“It’s horrifying,” one parent said, who wished to remain anonymous. “You trust your kids with their teachers every day—you never think something like this could happen.”
Court records obtained by Kentucky news outlet WKYT say Caldwell was arrested in 2021 for a DUI in an adjoining county. That DUI charge was dismissed via a pretrial diversion program, so it may not have appeared on her official teacher background check.
The case has wider questions on how school districts screen employees and whether mental health and substance abuse services are adequately provided to teachers under stress.
As the investigation goes on, law enforcement authorities have asked any other witnesses or individuals with dashcam images of the scene to come forward.
Published: Apr 18, 2025 11:32 am