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Assistant principal accused of DUI after riding e-bike, deputies say
A Winter Springs High School assistant principal was arrested on DUI charges after deputies said he rode an electric bicycle while impaired despite being warned not to do so.
LONGWOOD, Fla. - A Florida man has been arrested under suspicion of DUI while riding an e-bike from a sports bar in Wekiva Springs, according to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.
Kenneth Bevan, 50, was arrested and booked into jail under suspicion of DUI and refusal to submit to a field sobriety test and/or breathalyzer test, according to online court and jail records. Bevan is an assistant principal at Winter Springs High School.
The backstory:
A Seminole County deputy responded to Mulligan's in Wekova Springs shortly after midnight on June 30 for a trespass complaint.
According to the arrest report, a bartender had asked Bevan to leave the bar, which he did. The report said Bevan rode his e-bike to the bar and was warned by a deputy that he could not ride his bike home due to "apparent level of intoxication."
He was offered a courtesy ride home, but refused, the report said.
Shortly after, the same deputy said he spotted Bevan buy a 12-pack of beer from a nearby convenience store, place it on the front of the e-bike, and begin to ride it eastbound on State Road 434, the arrest report states. The deputy stopped Bevan for allegedly crossing the eastbound lanes outside the traffic signal and for not having a front light.
The deputy said he reminded Bevan that he was told not to ride his bike due to suspicions of him being impaired, the report said. Bevan allegedly said he would walk his bike home.
According to the arrest report, during the second stop, Belvan would sway while standing had slurred speech, glossy eyes, and smelled of alcohol. The deputy asked Bevan twice if he would perform field sobriety tests, which he refused, the report said.
He was arrested and transported to jail. He invoked his Fifth Amendment right. He has since posted bond and been released from jail.
What they're saying:
FOX 35 reached Kenneth Bevan by phone on Thursday.
"I am respectfully asking for peace and privacy for my family as we navigate through this process," he said in a statement.
FOX 35 reached out a spokesperson for Seminole County Public Schools.
"Mr. Bevans is currently outside of his contract with SCPS; therefore, this is a personal matter versus a district matter," the district said in a statement.
He is also the CEO of "Red Suitcase Ministry," a non-profit organization, according to its website.
When FOX 35 reached out to the organization for comment on his arrest, they replied with a Bible verse, John 8:7: "When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’"
Editor's note: Story updated to correct Bevan's age. He's 50, not 40.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.