Cheatham County teacher accused of being intoxicated on school property

CHEATHAM COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Just two months into the year, the Cheatham County School System has fired two teachers, both accused of being found with drugs on school property.

The latest incident took place Valentine’s Day at Sycamore High School. Officials said staff members, who are trained to look for signs of impairments, noticed something about a teacher and contacted the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office.

Bodycam video obtained by News 2 shows 42-year-old Brandon Peters, former U.S. history teacher, personal finance teacher and wrestling coach, being investigated by school resource officers (SROs).

When asked if he had been drinking, Peters reportedly told authorities “no,” agreeing to take a field sobriety test inside the school.

Some of the tests included deputies asking Peters to follow a pen with his eyes, walk heel-to-toe and raise one foot and count while keeping his balance.

According to the deputy’s report, Peters was “unsteady during the instruction phase” and got out of the stance before he was told to.

The deputy went on to write that he did not suspect Peters to be under the influence of alcohol, but he did believe him to be under the influence of drugs.

Authorities reported Peters admitted to taking a family member’s medication around noon, claiming that the pills were an antidepressant.

Additional experts also arrived and ran tests on Peters, including the department’s DRE Drug Recognition expert.

The DRE reportedly “calculated and determined that the suspect [Peters] to be under the influence of THC.”