Trustee Gets Three Years’ Probation
A Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustee pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drunk driving but said he will not resign despite a board member’s calls that he step down.
James M. Ferryman, 53, was placed on three years’ probation Monday and ordered to enroll in a first-time offender alcohol treatment program, according to court records.
He will also have to submit to chemical tests on demand, pay a $1,241 fine and drive on a restricted license for three months, according to court records.
Ferryman was arrested after a two-car accident on Newport Boulevard on Sept. 27. Tests showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19%, more than twice the legal limit, authorities said. Since then, Newport-Mesa Trustee Wendy Leece has called for Ferryman’s resignation three times.
“I’m going to finish my term,” Ferryman said Tuesday. “It is nice to get this behind me, but it’s not the end of the world.”
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