State High Swim Coach Was Allegedly Under the Influence When He Tried to Get Van to Drive Students to State Championships

The swimming coach for State College Area High School was allegedly under the influence when he tried to pick up a school district van to take students to the state championship meet in Lewisburg.

The Centre Daily Times reported that police were called on March 13 to the district bus garage on Cherry Lane, where a coach had come to pick up a van. The caller refused to give the man the keys because he appeared to be intoxicated.

Police said Aaron E. Workman, 38, of Port Matilda, performed unsatisfactorily on a field sobriety test and was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center where a blood draw showed a BAC of .271, according to police.

Workman reportedly told police he had not been drinking since the night before and had to get the swim team to Bucknell for a meet. The state championship meet was held at Bucknell that weekend.

Workman was charged with misdemeanor DUI-first offense. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 25.

State College Area School District Superintendent Bob O’Donnell said in a statement that Workman ‘was the head coach’ of the swimming team at the time of the incident and that no students were involved. He also commended transportation staff for quickly calling police.

‘Mr. Workman was the head coach of the SCASD swimming and diving team at the time of this incident,’ O’Donnell said. ‘However, we want to emphasize that no students were involved in this incident, nor had Mr. Workman been driving a district vehicle.

‘While this is an unfortunate incident, I want to commend our transportation department staff for their diligence and prompt action to ensure the safety of our students.

‘Beyond these comments, we are not able to elaborate further because this is a legal matter.’