HOPE — Three weeks after being arrested on multiple charges, the varsity boys basketball coach at Hauser High School has turned in his letter of resignation.
According to the March 2 letter, Joseph A. Sibbitt will step down as coach at the conclusion of Hauser’s participation in the state basketball tournament, Flatrock-Hawcreek School Corp. superintendent Shawn Price said. While he had earlier coached at Paoli and Austin, the 44-year-old Scottsburg resident is concluding his first year in coaching the Jets.
While he won’t be coaching, Sibbitt will continue to work at Hauser as a social studies teacher, Price said.
Sibbitt was formally charged in Clark Circuit Court 3 with criminal mischief as a Class B misdemeanor, reckless driving as a Class C misdemeanor, and operating a vehicle was intoxicated as a Class C misdemeanor.
The letter of resignation, which will be formally presented to the school board on March 10, came a little over three weeks after Sibbitt was arrested in Clark County on Feb. 9.
Court documents state a Sellersburg police officer found Sibbitt passed out in the driver’s seat of a vehicle. There was front end damage, as well as two flat tires, on the vehicle when it was found at 3 a.m. in front of a gas station.
When awakened, Sibbitt exhibited several signs of being intoxicated, a probable cause affidavit states. The officer also wrote he smelled a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on Sibbitt.
After following the vehicle’s track caused by driving on rims, the evidence indicated Sibbitt had struck landscaping and shrubs in front of a fast food restaurant. Following a series of field sobriety tests, the coach refused a chemical test and was placed under arrest, court documents state.
On Feb. 25, Sibbitt plead guilty to the reckless driving charge and in exchange, the other two charges were dropped, according to court records.
While Sibbitt was sentenced to a 60-day suspended jail term, he was also ordered to serve six months on probation. During that period, he is forbidden from drinking alcoholic beverages. The judge also ordered that Sibbitt will be subject to random urine tests while on probation, and complete a drug and alcohol assessment, the judge ordered.
He was also ordered to pay $485 in various fees and fines, as well as $20 a month while on probation.
