ANDERSON — A former Anderson High School boys basketball coach pleaded guilty earlier this week to felony driving while intoxicated, but avoided jail time in an agreement with prosecutors.
Phillip P. Washington, 25, Anderson, pleaded guilty on Monday to a single count of felony drunken driving, a charge that carries a sentencing range of six months to three years behind bars.
In an agreement with prosecutors, misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and two counts of OWI were dismissed. A speeding charge was also dropped.
Madison Superior Court 5 Judge Thomas Clem gave Washington a one-year suspended prison sentence and ordered him to serve a year on probation. Clem granted Washington’s request that the felony conviction be treated as a misdemeanor. The judge said Friday that among other things, Washington demonstrated he was serious about reforming his behavior, and had completed a substance abuse treatment program before his sentencing.
“He proved to me that he earned it,” Clem said. “He went out and did what he needed to do to get the misdemeanor treatment.”
Washington must also submit to a substance abuse evaluation, and abstain from drinking alcohol or using illicit substances. His driver’s license was suspended for 30 days.
Washington was arrested by Madison County sheriff’s deputies at about 4:40 a.m. Sunday, May 3, along Interstate 69 near the northbound 19-mile marker after a motorist traveling behind Washington reported the vehicle being driven erratically near the 13-mile marker.
A certified breath test revealed Washington had a blood-alcohol content of 0.10 percent. An officer discovered a small amount of marijuana wrapped in plastic in Washington’s back pants pocket.
Washington was a first-year physical education teacher at Anderson High School. He was among teachers laid off earlier in May.
Washington had coached boys basketball at Anderson for three years and was the freshmen boys coach last season. He played high school basketball at Highland High School.
Contact Shawn McGrath: 640-4883, shawn.mcgrath@heraldbulletin.com
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