COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Newly released 911 calls are raising additional questions in the DUI arrest of an elementary school principal in Cobb County, including claims from callers who told dispatchers they saw children inside her vehicle at the time of the crash.
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Jill Spiva, the principal of Addison Elementary School, is currently on administrative leave following her arrest earlier this month for driving under the influence. Police arrested Spiva near the school after a crash at the intersection of Ebenezer Road and Sandy Plains Road.
One man who called 911 said Spiva side-swiped his vehicle while he was stopped at a red light.
“I was sitting at a red light and got side swiped,” the caller told a dispatcher.
In a follow-up statement to 911, the man said the impact caused significant damage to his truck.
“She hit me in the front corner panel, went all the way down the side of my truck and broke my rear axle,” he said.
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Another caller told dispatchers she believed the driver also hit a nearby sign.
“It looks like a lady in a black SUV ran into a sign,” the caller said. “She’s pulled over. She’s got a few kids in the car. It doesn’t look like anybody’s hurt.”
A second 911 caller also reported seeing children inside the vehicle.
Those details were not included in the original police report, and police told Channel 2 Action News they are now looking into the information provided in the 911 calls.
According to police, officers found a half-empty bottle of vodka inside Spiva’s vehicle following the crash.
The police report doesn’t mention children in Spiva’s car. Cobb County police told Channel 2 Cobb Bureau Chief Michele Newell the officer who arrived didn’t see children, but police said they later received dash camera video from a witness that showed children in the car at the time of the crash.
The incident has left some parents frustrated, saying they only learned about the arrest after Channel 2 Action News reported it.
“Most parents want to see more transparency,” said Keith Maher, a parent with a child at Addison Elementary.
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Maher told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell he became concerned after noticing Spiva was absent from a school event she typically attends. He later learned the event took place the same day as the crash and near the location where police made the arrest.
“It was very close to the school,” Maher said. “If she intended on being at the event that we were all at that night, it was probably a good thing she crashed at that corner and not at the school.”
The Cobb County School District confirmed that Spiva is on administrative leave and said families were notified earlier this month that additional details could not be shared.
In a statement, the district said the situation is under review in accordance with district policy and added it is confident in the staff currently leading Addison Elementary School.
“As the district told families earlier this month, additional details cannot be shared at this time. The situation is being reviewed in accordance with District policy. We remain confident in the professionalism of the educators and staff at Addison Elementary, who continue to focus on student learning.”
— Cobb County Schools spokesperson
Channel 2 Action News attempted to reach Spiva for comment, but could not find an attorney listed on her behalf.