UPDATE (March 2, 2023): Rhoades will remain on staff and return to his teaching assignment on March 27, the school corporation said.
Here’s the statement:
Mt. Vernon High School teacher, Mr. Benjamen Rhoades, was recently arrested on a non-school related DUI charge and released from the Shelby County Jail. Mt. Vernon immediately placed him on leave while beginning the review on Monday, February 20, per our policy. After significant consideration and due diligence related to Mr. Rhoades’ first-time offense, he will remain on leave through March 26 and return to his teaching assignment on March 27. His extracurricular position as varsity coach is still under review and the timeline for the decision is undetermined.
Mt. Vernon does not approve nor condone the behavior that led to Mr. Rhoades’ arrest. We believe that Mr. Rhoades is seeking the help and support he needs to recover from this event and ensure that it does not happen again. While it will take significant time, we expect him to prove that this one-time mistake does not define him as a person or a teacher, and that he will work diligently to earn the trust back of the MV community.
Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation
SHELBYVILLE, Ind. — The Mt. Vernon head boys basketball coach was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to the Shelbyville Police Department.
Officers were dispatched to the area of the Horseshoe Indianapolis Casino in the 4300 block of Michigan Rd. on report of a possible intoxicated driver. This came after casino security asked Benjamen A. Rhoades to leave the facility and cut off all of his alcohol consumption then alerting police that he left the parking garage in a 2012 silver Chrysler sedan.
Rhoades, 44, was seen Tuesday at 12:38 a.m. by Shelbyville Police for driving over the double yellow line twice, which led to him being stopped.
After a series of failed sobriety test, and a portable breath test result of a .218, Rhoades was taken to the Shelby County Jail.
Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation released a statement saying that Rhoades has been placed on leave while the situation is under review.
“Mt. Vernon High School staff will be supporting the classes and students impacted during his absence,” said the MVCSC. “Mt. Vernon will continue to stay committed to providing academic excellence for all Mt. Vernon students and will strive to ensure this situation does not alter an optimal learning environment for all students.”
