09-04-2025
Miami teacher charged with DWI
MIAMI, Okla. – A Miami High School English instructor accused of being intoxicated and driving her vehicle through a busy Joplin intersection is facing a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated.
Elaine M. Wurst, 56, of Joplin, is charged in Jasper County Circuit Court.
Wurst was stopped around 11 p.m. on Saturday on Dermont Drive and Tabor Main Road in Joplin for what police say were multiple lane violations, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Court records say Wurst failed three field sobriety tests and her blood alcohol level measured 0.167. The legal limit in Missouri 0.08.
She is free on $2,000 bond and scheduled to appear in court on April 28, online court records show.
Wurst's social media pages show she has been an English Teacher at Miami School District since July 9, 2019, and was a Media Specialist with Carthage School District from 2012 to 2017.
Miami School officials said the incident happened when Wurst was not on school grounds and they couldn't comment since it's a personnel matter.
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