A 44-year-old teacher in Thermal was arrested Monday after the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department found him to be under the influence of alcohol while instructing students, officials said.
Brian Nichols, who lives in Palm Springs, was arrested shortly after 10:15 a.m. when deputies responded to reports of an intoxicated teacher at a school in the 86100 block of Avenue 66, the Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
Officials did not reveal the identity of the school, but Las Palmitas Elementary School, Toro Canyon Middle School and Desert Mirage High School all match the address provided by the RCSD.
Confirming the reports made by school officials, deputies said Nichols was under the influence of alcohol while instructing children, and he was arrested on charges of public intoxication, possession of alcohol on school grounds and child endangerment, according to the RCSD.
Nichols was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center and is being held in lieu of $35,000 bail. He is due to appear in the Indio Larson Justice Center on Dec. 7.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call Deputy Ramirez at 760-863-8990.
If you wish to remain anonymous, call Valley Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867.