Brandywine trustee has no plans to resign after OWI charge
Published 11:56 am Friday, May 15, 2015
A Brandywine school board trustee said he will not resign after being charged with operating while intoxicated last month in St. Joseph County, Michigan.
Jason Spitler, of Niles, spoke publicly for the first time about the incident at Monday’s school board meeting.
“At the advice of my attorney, I am not going to get into specifics,” he said. “However, it has reflected negatively on the district and I apologize for that. I don’t think it is going to affect my position as a board member.”
A copy of the ticket issued to Spitler obtained by the Niles Daily Star said Spitler was operating a vehicle on Chamberlain Road at or near Ayers Road in Flowerfield Township, which is located in St. Joseph County, at around 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 29.
The ticket said Spitler was charged with misdemeanor operating while intoxicated — alcohol, but did not provide any other details about the incident itself.
When asked Monday if he would step down from his position, Spitler said he is not going to resign.
“What happened on that Wednesday has nothing to do with the school district. That was my personal life,” Spitler said.
“I made a mistake and I will deal with it on a personal level. We live and learn. We learn from our mistakes.”
Spitler was appointed to the school board in 2014 to fill a vacant seat after a board member resigned. He was elected to the board in November of 2014.