A Palm Desert man was taken into custody Friday after an investigation kicked off by a Thermal school student's call to their parents saying they believed their teacher was intoxicated and that his behavior frightened the class.
According to Deputy Sgt. Oscar Gutierrez in a press release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, school officials accompanied by campus security removed the teacher from the classroom as they waited for Thermal Station deputies to arrive. The school has not been named but is located on the 87100 block of Center Street, the release said.
Arriving to the scene at 2:54 p.m., deputies investigated and came to suspect that the claims against the teacher were true.
"The investigation revealed, Marcos Jesus Espinoza, a 44-year-old resident of Palm Desert and teacher at the school, was believed to be under the influence of alcohol and believed to have consumed it while instructing students," Sgt. Gutierrez said in the release.
Subsequently, Espinoza was arrested and booked at the John Benoit Detention Center for charges relating to public intoxication, possession of alcohol on school grounds and child endangerment.
Sgt. Gutierrez asks those with information regarding this incident to contact Deputy Telles of Thermal Station at 760-863-8990. Alternatively, anonymous reports can be made to Valley Crimestoppers at 760-341-7867.