A third grade teacher has been arrested for being 'drunk on the job' after staff pulled her out of the classroom asking her to explain why she had a cup allegedly filled with wine.

Kimberly Coates, 53, was teaching her class at Perkins-Tryon Intermediate School in Oklahoma when she was taken out of her classroom on the first day of term to meet with the school's superintendent and a police officer.

After drawn-out questioning that saw her take a breathalyzer test and continually deny she had consumed alcohol at school, she eventually admitted she had drunk half a box of wine until 3am earlier that morning.

However, after the superintendent, Doug Ogle, told her she seemed 'like you're not the same person I talked to this morning,' the officer and school administration suggested she had been drinking since arriving at school and since class started at 8.25am.

Coates was arrested on Thursday, August 17, on the anticipated charge of public intoxication.

Kimberly Coates, 53, was arrested by Perkins Police accused of one count of public intoxication

Perkins Police Department released body cam footage Tuesday of the meeting with Coates, showing the allegedly intoxicated teacher meeting with school administrators and law enforcement.

Sergeant Spencer Gedon told Oklahoma City's KFOR: 'The school administration contacted our school resource officer.

'Whenever he got there, he saw some signs that maybe she was impaired.'

In the bodycam footage, Ogle accused Coates of 'acting weird' and being 'off'. She was asked if she would consider taking a breath test.

Agreeing to the breathalyzer, Coates also tried to excuse her behavior by claiming she had taken anxiety medication. She said she was unable to present the bottle of medication because she put the anxiety pill in her pocket and had taken it earlier in the day.

She then blew into the machine and produced a measurement of 0.24 - three times the legal driving limit of 0.08.

Coates was then asked if she left campus that day and whether there would be any traces of consumed alcohol in her classroom. She said she hadn't left the school, but did not answer the latter question.

The officer asked Coates if she drank often, at which point she responded: 'Unfortunately, yes,' and that she was 'seeing a councilor about it'.

Perkins Police Department released body cam footage Tuesday of the meeting with Coates (center) showing the allegedly intoxicated teacher meeting with school administrators and law enforcement

Kimberly Coates (center) was teaching her class at Perkins-Tryon Intermediate School in Oklahoma when she was taken out of her classroom on the first day of school to meet with the school's superintendent and a police officer

Sgt Gedon checks Coates' eyes by asking her to focus on a pen as he moves it from side to side. The officer concludes: 'Yes, she's intoxicated'

While Coates continued to maintain that the last time she drank was 3am, Ogle asked whether, in the officer's expert opinion, she was 'under the influence.'

Sgt. Gedon responded: 'In my honest opinion, I think she's probably a functioning alcoholic.' He then checked her eyes by asking her to focus on a pen as he moved it from side to side. The officer concluded: 'Yes, she's intoxicated.'

At this point, Ogle told Coates that she needed to have someone come and pick her up and take her home. She refused to let him call her husband.

A police report, obtained by Stillwater News Press, recorded a school officer as saying: 'I noticed Kimberly had red, watery eyes and a thick, slurred speech. Kimberly had a hard time completing sentences.'

'I know I've been having a hard time - am I going to get fired?' Coates asked.

Answering bluntly, the superintendent responded: 'Honestly, yes - or you can resign. You're under the influence at school with kids.'

Still not admitting she had been drinking since being at school, Coates questioned whether she could still be recording a high alcohol breath content after drinking last night.

'Unless you drank at s**t ton at like eight o'clock this morning, I don't know how you could still be that high,' Sgt. Gedon responded.

Kimberly Coates inspects a cup that she is accused of drinking wine from. She said she had juice in the cup

Coates was placed under arrest and transported to the Payne County Jail on the anticipated District Court charge of Public Intoxication

Coates continued to claim that she couldn't call her husband or a friend to pick her up. And the officer told her he didn't want to have to 'humiliate' her by making the arrest.

Ogle then gathered her belongings for her and returned with a blue cup - questioning what was contained in it.

'No, more games, right,' Ogle said, planting the cup on the table. 'What was in that?'

She then claimed it was 'juice', but smelling the cup, the officer said: 'That there was wine. Want to try again?'

She was later told to put her hands behind her back as she was cuffed and arrested.

A spokesperson for the City of Perkins said: 'On Thursday, August 17, 2023, at approximately 3.20pm, School Resource Officer Shane Dean was contacted by Perkins-Tryon School officials in reference to a teacher that was possibly intoxicated at the Intermediate School.

'Deputy Chief Dean contacted Kimberly S. Coates, 53, a 3rd grade teacher, and confirmed that Ms. Coates was indeed under the influence of alcohol.

'Ms. Coates breath sample in a portable breath tester showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.24, which is three times the legal limit. Ms.

Coates was placed under arrest and transported to the Payne County Jail on the anticipated District Court charge of Public Intoxication.