Update: Trustee Enge signs resignation letter from jail

Joe Enge, Carson City School Board trustee, was arrested early Thursday morning for allegedly violating his parole. After pleading guilty to a drunken driving offense on Jan. 31, Enge was prohibited from drinking alcohol. He reportedly blew a .174 on a breath test Thursday.

Joe Enge, Carson City School Board trustee, was arrested early Thursday morning for allegedly violating his parole. After pleading guilty to a drunken driving offense on Jan. 31, Enge was prohibited from drinking alcohol. He reportedly blew a .174 on a breath test Thursday.

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After his second alcohol-related arrest this year, Joe Enge has seemingly resigned his position on the Carson City School Board on Thursday.

"With my most humble and sincere apologies to the people of Carson City, the children of our community, my fellow trustees and the many good folks who serve the district each day, I hereby resign as a trustee, effective immediately,"the resignation read in part. "I thank the people of Carson City for giving me the opportunity to do this public service, and again I regret and apologize for the fact that I have let them and our children down because of my personal problems."

However, the letter was written by friend Ron Knecht, who said he brought the letter to Enge in jail.

"I told him it was advisable to sign it and he shook his head and signed it," Knecht said.

School district officials said they were waiting to see if it was official.

Enge was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of violating his bail conditions, which barred him from drinking alcohol after a drunken driving arrest in January.

Authorities were called to his home at 1:08 a.m. Thursday during a dispute with a family member, according to the arrest report.

When deputies arrived, Enge had left his house in the 1700 block of Ridgeway Drive.

A family member told police Enge had driven away with his 9-year-old son and that he'd been drinking, according to the report. Enge was found a short time later in the 4000 block of Muldoon Drive, along with his son.

"(Enge) denied drinking alcohol prior to driving to the Muldoon Drive address," the report stated.

However, he allegedly registered a .174 on a breathalyzer test. The legal limit is .08 in Nevada. He was arrested on suspicion of violation of bail conditions, a gross misdemeanor.

When arrested on Jan. 31, Enge called it a "life-changing moment."

"I'm never going to take another drink and I'll be actively seeking professional help. I'm not proud of this. I'm embarrassed," he told the Nevada Appeal at the time. He pleaded guilty to the offense.

In February, fellow members of the Carson City School Board cast a formal vote urging him to resign his position.

He refused, saying it was a personal matter.

Enge, 46, is a former Carson High School history teacher and was elected to the school board in 2006.

In October 2007, he was cited for driving into a neighbor's fence and leaving the scene.

In 2005, he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in Lyon County, but charges were dismissed after Enge said in court he'd been wearing dentures, which can impact the accuracy of the tests.

He also has two previous DUI convictions from 1997. Under Nevada law, a person must have two DUI convictions within a seven-year period in order for the third offense to be considered a felony.

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