Warwick Veterans Middle School Teacher Charged With DUI

WARWICK, RI — The principal of Warwick Veterans Middle School has been charged with driving under the influence after being accused of crashing into another vehicle on Saint Patrick's Day, police said.

Jeffrey Goss, 54, who was appointed principal of Warwick Veterans in Aug. 2023, was arrested in Tiverton after he was involved in an accident on Route 24 and police noticed he smelled strongly of alcohol, appeared disoriented and off-balance, and had glassy and bloodshot eyes.

He was taken into custody after failing to complete a field sobriety test and refusing a breathalyzer, police said. Goss admitted that he had consumed four beers at an Irish bar in Seekonk that was hosting an all-day St. Patrick's Day party, according to police.

Now the third Warwick school official arrested on DUI charges in a year, Goss is expected to be arraigned Thursday, according to NECN.

Previously, Goss was appointed principal at William S. Rogers High School in Nov. 2014. Before that, he served as assistant principal at Classical High School in Providence, and worked 15 years in Portsmouth, including eight as assistant principal at Portsmouth High School.

He is a 1991 graduate of Springfield College and was a basketball and football player. His sporting career continued after college and he worked for the Pawtucket Red Sox before becoming a teacher in 1997.