The principal at Leesburg High School has stepped down in the wake of a drunk driving arrest.
Michael A. Randolph, 38, was arrested early Oct. 26 by the Clermont Police Department on a second degree misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence. He has pleaded not guilty in the case and remains free on bond.
He had been seen as a rising star in the Lake County school system, having worked hard to greatly improve graduation rates at the high school which has struggled with high rates of poverty.
Randolph, who had served as the LHS principal since 2017, was driving a white pickup truck at about 2 a.m. on State Road 50 approaching Miss Florida Avenue when his truck was estimated traveling at 71 miles per hour in a 50 mph zone, according to an arrest report. He had also failed to maintain his lane of traffic.
During a traffic stop, the Indiana native was “very apologetic” and was issued a ticket for failure to use a designated lane.
It appeared Randolph had been drinking and he agreed to participate in field sobriety exercises. However, his poor performance led the officer to conclude he had been driving impaired.
An inventory of his truck prior to towing turned up open plastic containers of Crown Royal Apple and Smirnoff Vodka.
Randolph, who resides at 17235 Hickory Wind Drive in Clermont, was taken to the Clermont Police Department where he was asked to provide a breath sample, but refused to do so.
The officer noted in the report that Randolph was “very emotional, polite, apologetic.”
A plea negotiation conference is set in his case in December.