Role Model #459
July 23, 2008 - Ruth Gerding, 31, a first-grade teacher at St. Jude Cathedral School, was found guilty of DUI, a misdemeanor, and sentenced to a year in the Manatee County jail after a jury acquitted her of DUI manslaughter. They found her not responsible for the death of a motorcyclist in a fatal collision last year.
Gerding's blood-alcohol level was measured at .230 -- nearly three times the limit at which Florida drivers are considered intoxicated at the time of the accident. The motorcyclist was also drunk.
Gerding, who has a prior 2001 DUI conviction in Pinellas County and a history of speeding tickets, showed no emotion when the verdict was announced. Before Circuit Judge Debra Riva announced her sentence, she turned around and cracked a quick smile at friends and family members sitting in the courtroom gallery.Her attorney said the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg told her that if she was convicted of a misdemeanor, she could keep her job at St. Jude, where she also coaches volleyball.
Keel told the judge that his client has not drank alcohol or driven a vehicle since the day of the fatal crash.Full Name: Ruth Patricia Gerding
