By Glenn Rolfe

LAUREL — The Laurel School District Board of Education announced Tuesday that superintendent Dr. Shawn Larrimore has been relieved of duties indefinitely following his arrest on driving under the influence and other charges late Saturday.

Laurel Police say they arrested Dr. Larrimore at about 11:30 p.m. following a traffic stop in the vicinity of Camp Road and U.S. 13.

“We take this matter very seriously. The safety and well-being of our students, staff and community are of paramount importance to us,” the Laurel board of education stated in a post on the school district’s website.

Laurel Police charged Dr. Larrimore with driving under the influence of alcohol; failure to move over/slow down for stopped vehicle displaying warning signal; failure to signal continuously before turning; expired registration; and failure to remain in a single lane.

The board’s statement went to say, “In light of this incident, Superintendent Dr. Shawn Larrimore will be away from his duties as superintendent for an indefinite amount of time. Disciplinary consequences imposed by the Laurel Board of Education on Dr. Larrimore will not be disclosed publicly per our human resources protocol. The board will continue to address this matter thoroughly and with utmost diligence.”

According to a Laurel Police, an officer was conducting a traffic stop in the area of Sussex Highway and Camp Road, operating a fully-marked patrol car with emergency lights activated on the right shoulder of the road.

A second officer was parked nearby to assist. During the initial traffic stop, officers allegedly observed a red Ford F150 northbound in the right lane of Sussex Highway driving past the traffic stop in the right lane without slowing down or moving over to the next available lane as required by law.

The second officer allegedly observed the truck failing to maintain a single lane.

The arrest report documents the F150 driving almost entirely in the shoulder, swerving to the left highway lane, and back right over the shoulder rumble strips.

The driver, identified as Dr. Larrimore, 53, of Seaford, showed signs of alcohol impairment and a DUI investigation was initiated, according to the Laurel Police release.

Dr. Larrimore was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He refused a chemical test, and a blood sample was ultimately obtained via a search warrant. The test results were pending Wednesday, according to Laurel Police.

Dr. Larrimore was released to a sober party with a summons to appear at a future court appearance.