MOUNT VERNON – A jury found Mount Vernon High School Activities Director Justin Sanford guilty of one charge of Operating a Vehicle under the Influence on Thursday at Mount Vernon Municipal Court.
Sanford, 43, Sunbury, was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with 174 suspended on the condition he complies with probation. Of the remaining six days, he will spend three in a driver intervention program and the other three in jail, court officials said.
Sanford was placed on probation for two years. While his driver’s license was suspended after refusing to submit a breath or urine alcohol test on the night of his arrest, Oct. 27, the court allowed him to renew his license while under suspension on Feb. 15.
Sanford has remained Mount Vernon’s AD since his arrest. Attempts to reach Mount Vernon City Schools Superintendent Bill Seder on Friday were unsuccessful.
On Oct. 27, Sanford was pulled over at 2:04 a.m. by Mount Vernon Police Department Patrolman Justin Willis after failing to use a turn signal when going from South Mulberry Street to West Vine Street. When Willis approached Sanford after the stop, Willis noticed that the driver’s eyes were “bloodshot and watery,” according to court records.
Sanford told Willis that he had “just picked up a friend from Flappers,” according to the police report. When Willis asked Sanford if he had been drinking, Sanford said he had not. But Willis said he noticed “the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle,” which is when he called for additional units to help him conduct field sobriety tests.
Willis said Sanford could not maintain balance during the sobriety tests. He was then arrested for driving while impaired and was transported to the Knox County Jail.
Sanford pleaded not guilty to OVI charges. He was represented in Thursday’s trial by attorney Daniel Sabol. Sabol could not be reached for comment on Friday.
The Mount Vernon Law Director’s Office tried Thursday’s case on behalf of the city.
