Parchment AD pleads to misdemeanors

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - The Parchment schools administrator who led police on high-speed chase before being arrested on drunk driving charges has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors.

John Thompson pleaded guilty Friday to attempted fleeing or eluding of a police officer and reckless driving.

In October, a jury found Thompson guilty of misdemeanor o perating while intoxicated with a high blood alcohol content -- the state's "super drunk" law. But the jury deadlocked on whether he was guilty of felony fleeing and eluding police.

The jury deadlocked on that charge after Thompson testified that he was so drunk on the night of April 4 that he couldn't remember leading Richland police on a chase that reached speeds in excess of 125 mph, pulling over for officers or being ordered to the ground at gunpoint.

His blood alcohol content level at the time was .25 -- more than three times the legal limit of .08, police records show.

Thompson's attorney argued the prosecution had to prove that Thompson knew he was being chased -- and if he was too drunk to know the police were after him, then he was not guilty of that charge. In essence, Thompson's misdemeanor act of being "super drunk" became his defense against the felony charge.     

Rather than being retried on the felony fleeing and eluding charge, Thompson agreed to plead guilty to two lesser misdemeanor charges.   

He could be sentenced to up to a year in jail for the fleeing and eluding charge and up to 93 days in jail for reckless the driving charge. Sentencing is set for Dec. 3.

All of his convictions are misdemeanors. It's not clear how those may affect his teaching license.

Thompson remains on unpaid leave from his job as athletic director and middle school assistant principal at Parchment Public Schools. Once the district receives official notice of his plea, it will discuss the situation with the district's attorney to decide what will happen next.