MANCHESTER, NH December 7, 2023–Hillside Assistant Principal Nancy Rothe was arrested for DUI and “lane control” infractions on September 8, 2023, Girard at Large has learned. Rothe was taken into custody by the Londonderry Police Department after an apparent Friday night bender.
According to the arrest report, LPD Officer Sarah Sabella observed Rothe’s 2019 black Cadillac XT5 “having severe lane control issues.” She wrote that Rothe “was varying in speeds ranging from approximately 30 mph to 50 mph” and that her black Cadillac’s “crossed over the yellow center line seven times and the passenger side tires crossed the white fog line once.” After Sabella lit her patrol car’s roller lights, Rothe’s Caddy “stopped abruptly in the roadway just after the intersection of Mammoth Road at Valley Road.”
Rothe told Sabella that she was on her way back from Luna Rosa and stated she had had two drinks. In response to a question about what kind of drinks, Rothe said “Tito’s vodka and…yeah vodka.”
The officer opened the driver’s door after asking Rothe to step out of the vehicle. Wrote Sabella:
“Once her feet were on the ground, she used the vehicle to pull herself up and leaned on the vehicle while she walked to the rear. While walking, I noticed that Nancy had urinated on herself.”
Despite being “uneasy on her feet and swaying in all directions,” Rothe gave herself a rating of “zero” on a scale of zero to ten, with zero being “stone cold sober” and ten being “the most drunk she’s ever been.” Before answering “zero,” Rothe first answered “No, I am not.”
Rothe, who was described has slurring her words and having the strong odor of alcohol, went on to decisively fail the field sobriety test and was, subsequently, arrested. As a result of her refusal to allow her blood alcohol level to be checked, LPD seized her license and replaced it with a temporary 30 day license, subject to appeal. According to Christopher Casko, Esq., administrator of the Bureau of Hearings at the Department of Safety, Rothe did not file an appeal, causing her license to be suspended after the temporary license expired. It will remain suspended until her case is adjudicated in Derry District Court on January 24 at 12:45 PM. She plead not guilty at her arraignment in Derry District Court on Sept. 13, 2023.
Despite being asked what the district’s policies were with respect to certified staff who are involved in these kinds of incidents and whether she was aware of it, School Superintendent Jennifer Gillis refused to comment, saying it was “a personnel matter.” A follow up communication noting she was asked about district policies was not responded to.
Rothe did not respond to a request for comment.
