DJ accused of being intoxicated at Kentucky high school’s Project Graduation event

A DJ at North Oldham High School’s Project Graduation was arrested early Sunday after allegedly working drunk around several hundred students, according to the Oldham County sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office received complaints from several people regarding the behavior of Denis Ray Rhodes during the Project Graduation event at the high school. When the sheriff’s office arrived, Rhodes was confused, smelled strongly of alcohol, had slurred speech and was unsteady on his feet, according to an arrest citation.

A sports drink bottle was found with alcohol in it, according to court documents. Rhodes allegedly told police he had been drinking during the event and was filling the bottle from a vodka bottle in his truck, his arrest citation states.

He was also in possession of a marijuana vaping device with marijuana residue, the sheriff’s office said.

Project Graduation events are for graduating seniors and offer alcohol and drug-free activities, often at the school.

In a statement provided to WKYT, Oldham County Schools said “it’s unfortunate that an individual hired by Project Graduation to perform at an event designed to be a safe, drug-free environment for students made such a poor decision.” Law enforcement provided security at the event, the school district further stated.

Rhodes, of Loveland, Ohio, was charged with alcohol intoxication in a public place, drinking alcohol in a public place and possession of drug paraphernalia.

This story was originally published June 4, 2019 at 7:44 AM.