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Bettendorf board reviews arrest of superintendent

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By Sheena Dooley | Monday, May 19, 2008 |

Marty Lucas (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

School board members in Bettendorf have completed their investigation but have yet to reach a decision regarding their superintendent, who faces drunken-driving charges.

The board met behind closed doors for two hours Monday night to review additional information regarding Superintendent Marty Lucas’ February arrest. They emerged without a decision regarding what, if any, disciplinary action Lucas will face.

However, board members have completed their investigation into the matter and will meet with Lucas this week. The board plans to make an announcement regarding a decision by the end of the month, said Cameron Davidson, attorney for the Bettendorf School District.

Davidson said the district will send notification of their decision out, but he said they are not required by law to do so. If the board takes disciplinary action against Lucas, it would have to do so in an open meeting, under Iowa law.

Lucas has pleaded not guilty to the OWI charges that stem from a February incident in which the 2008 Chevrolet Blazer he was driving and the U-Haul it was pulling ended up in a ditch off of an icy Interstate 390 in Benton County.

Lucas told deputies that he had one beer with his lunch four hours earlier when they noticed the smell of alcohol. He failed a preliminary drunken driving test about an hour after the accident and a breath test registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.118. The legal limit is 0.08.

A jury trial is scheduled for June 9.

Board members last met regarding the situation in March during a meeting that Lucas asked be closed. At the time, they said they needed additional information but hoped to make a decision within two weeks.

The board Monday night finally received that information, which included court documents, Davidson said. Those documents offer an explanation of the incident and charges against Lucas. He would not comment on what other information board members received.

It is the second time Lucas faces drunken driving charges. He was arrested in July 1999 on OWI charges when he was a superintendent in Charles City, Iowa. He received a deferred judgment and a year’s probation.

Sheena Dooley can be contacted at (563) 383-2363 or sdooley@qctimes.com.