SOUTHINGTON, Conn. – A high school teacher who allegedly showed up to class drunk reportedly told the school principal he consumed a bottle of vodka the night before.

John Edward Hansen, 47, faces a disorderly conduct charge stemming from an incident at Southington High School Nov. 6 in which he was removed from the classroom when students reported he was slurring his speech, yelling at students and using profanity, NBC reports.

“Surveillance video showed Hansen, a Spanish teacher, veering in the hallway and bumping into lockers as he entered the school that day, and then rough-housing with students during the Pledge of Allegiance, according to documents released in response to a Freedom of Information request,” according to the Hartford Currant.

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Students in Hansen’s first and second period classes told school officials that his face was red, speech was slurred and he threw one student out of class and slammed the door, according to NBC.

An incident report shows someone – the identity was redacted – alerted Southington High School Vice Principal Michael Halloran that “We need your help upstairs now. Hansen is either drunk or high. Half the class is really freaked out and the girls are scared,” according to the Currant.

“When the principal spoke with police, he said students reported being worried and scared, so Hansen was brought into the principal’s office,” NBC reports.

“The principal went on to tell police Hansen had difficulty walking, slurred his words and said he drank a bottle of vodka the night before, according to police.”

He denied drinking the morning of the incident.

Court records show Hansen was taken to a medical facility where he failed a blood-alcohol test. He was arrested Dec. 9. He missed a recent court hearing and is scheduled for another Jan. 20, according to NBC.

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Many local residents were disappointed by the teacher’s conduct, though not everyone thought he should have been arrested.

“Why did they have to arrest him?” DirtyDoggg posted to the Currant site. “Isn’t it bad enough his career is ruined? The kids probably found it more funny and contemptible than frightening. Of course, I wasn’t there.”

Others didn’t buy Hansen’s claim that his intoxication was the result of heavy drinking the night before.

“The only way this is true is if the night before ended on the way to school that morning,” jamesdavidson269 posted. “And now he is on paid vacation while he seeks treatment and keeps his job because he is suffering from a disease.”

Reader Serene Skeptic wrote that’s not the case.

“No. Hansen resigned from Southington High School on Nov. 14 and his resignation became effective Nov. 15, due to personnel reasons. In his resignation letter, he stated that he has personal and serious health issues,” Serene Skeptic posted.