Friday, June 27, 2003 | 10:29 a.m.
A regional director for the Clark County School District, who formerly headed up the district's police force, pleaded guilty Thursday to misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with a December head-on collision with another car.
Jack Lazzarotto, the 54-year-old director of alternative services for the school district's east region, entered the plea and paid $30,000 to the family whose car he hit on Dec. 28.
In exchange for his plea, Chief Deputy District Attorney Gary Booker agreed to seek a no more than three years of probation, community service and alcohol counseling when Lazzarotto is sentenced in August.
District Judge Michael Douglas will sentence Lazzarotto and can impose a tougher sentence than what is outlined in the plea agreement for the charges of driving under the influence and conspiracy to commit reckless driving. The misdemeanor driving under the influence charge could result in six months in jail, and the conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail.
Lazzarotto, who continues to work for the school district, admitted that he had a few drinks before the accident.
"After work I met with some colleagues and had some glasses of wine," Lazzarotto told Douglas.
Lazzarotto drove southbound in the northbound lanes of Buffalo Drive near Charleston Boulevard and drove his Dodge Stratus head-on into a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The driver of the Jeep suffered a broken hand in the accident, Metro Police said.
Along with the $30,000 in restitution and the other requirements of the plea agreement, Lazzarotto will also have to have a breath analyzer installed in his car during his probation. The device requires drivers to test their blood alcohol levels before the car can start.
School district officials would not comment on whether or not an internal investigation into Lazzarotto's activities had been initiated.
GeorgeAnn Rice, school district assistant superintendent for human resources, said that she couldn't comment specifically on the Lazzaratto case, but did say that misdemeanor charges against school personnel usually result in an investigation.
"It would depend on if there is a nexus between the misdemeanor behavior and their job," Rice said. "If there wasn't a connection nothing would probably be done."
Lazzarotto is one of five directors responsible for overseeing alternative programs in the school district's five regions. Among Lazzarotto's duties is overseeing alternative schools designed to give flexibility to students who have not done well in a traditional school setting.
Lazzarotto has been with the school district since 1977 and was made chief of police in the mid-1990s. He has served as director of alternative programs for the east region for about a year.04
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