Hawthorn District 73 School Supt. Edward Noyes is scheduled to appear in court this month on charges that he was drunk when he fled the scene of an auto accident over the holiday school vacation.
And while he faces the possibility of a fine, court supervision or a jail sentence of up to one year if convicted of the traffic charges, the incident also has left his career at the school district hanging in the balance.
On Tuesday night, members of the District 73 school board met in closed session for more than two hours to discuss Noyes’ status. After the meeting, school board President Mary Anne Hannigan said a statement on the board’s position will be released Wednesday.
Noyes, who had a bandage across his nose, attended the meeting. He would not comment. But his attorney, Charles Smith, said he plans to enter a plea of innocent on behalf of his client.
Smith said he does not know what penalties Noyes, 48, would face if convicted, but legal observers said it is common for first-time drunken-driving offenders to be placed on supervision and undergo counseling or treatment.
Smith said that while Noyes has never been arrested before on drunken-driving charges, “Obviously, (the board members) consider it a serious matter.”
According to Vernon Hills police reports, Noyes was found either sleeping or unconscious shortly after midnight on Dec. 30, in a car in the parking lot of the Hawthorn Medical Center, 6 Phillip Rd. The reports said he was slumped over the steering wheel of the 1993 Buick Regal that the district provides for him, with the lights on and the engine running.
When a police officer tapped on the window, and Noyes responded, reports said the officer noticed he was bleeding from a cut on the bridge of his nose and there was blood splattered on his clothes. The officer subsequently smelled alcohol on Noyes’ breath, according to a police spokesman.
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Outside, the officer noticed fresh damage to the front of the car, and when Noyes took a Breathalyzer test at the Vernon Hills police station a short time later, his blood alcohol content was .22, the spokesman said. That is more than twice the .10 reading that Illinois law defines as being under the influence of alcohol.
Police said that other Vernon Hills officers later discovered pieces of molding and grill at the entrance gate of the nearby New Century Park that matched the damage on Noyes’ car.
As news of Noyes’ arrest spread in the town of 15,000, many of the residents interviewed Tuesday expressed disappointment over what had happened. Some also were sympathetic.
“I think it’s a shame,” said Marcella Halloran, a parent of a Hawthorn Elementary School student. “We really work on this at our house, being responsible when around a wheel, and I’m really worried about that.”
If Noyes is found guilty in court, she said, “he should get some help, (but) I don’t think he should lose his job.”
Others disagreed. Beverly Stackhouse, another parent of an elementary school student, said she thinks he should resign if convicted.
“There’s going to be people that say give him another chance,” she said, “but what if the next chance someone dies or someone gets hurt?”
Noyes is scheduled to appear in Lake County Court on the traffic charges on Jan. 19.