Sentencing is set next month for a local teacher who was arrested while at school.

44-year-old Michael Dennis Fletcher, a teacher with Huron Valley Schools, was taken into custody in September at Lakeland High School after a breathalyzer showed his blood alcohol limit was more than four times the legal limit. The school’s resource officer administered the test around 8am on September 18th after being alerted by administrators that Fletcher appeared to be intoxicated. The Breathalyzer indicated a blood alcohol content of .354%. The state’s legal limit for driving is .08%. Fletcher, a West Bloomfield resident, admitted to drinking alcohol before driving to school that morning. He was subsequently charged with driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of .17 or higher and driving with a suspended license, counts he pleaded no contest to.

A no contest plea is not an admission of guilty but is treated as such at sentencing, which is set for January 22nd in Oakland County District Court. That’s the same day Fletcher is set to be sentenced for similar charges from a 2018 incident to which he previously pleaded guilty. Fletcher can avoid jail time if he is admitted to the Sobriety Court Program, which offers substance abuse treatment, intensive supervision and drug testing. District spokesperson Kim Root says Fletcher has submitted his resignation and remains on administrative leave until his resignation is effective. (JK)