GREENWOOD, Ind. -- A school police chief was arrested over the weekend on a drunken driving charge during a sobriety checkpoint traffic stop.

The Johnson County Sheriff's Office said John Cox, 48, had been drinking before he came upon the checkpoint Friday in the 1100 block of North Madison Avenue.

Police said Cox, who is chief of police for Center Grove Schools, admitted he had been drinking at "That Place," a nearby bar, and had empty bottles of alcohol in his pickup truck.

6News' Julie Pursley found Cox at home Monday morning, but he didn't have much to say.

"It's embarrassing enough. I don't wish to speak to the news," he said, before leaving in his truck. "I haven't had a chance to even speak with an attorney yet."

Cox told an officer he was tired when he left the bar and slept in his truck for a couple of hours before hitting the road, according to a police report.

Police said Cox's blood-alcohol content registered 0.09 percent, just slightly above the legal limit.

Officer Travis Wampler said Cox told him that he was dealing with some difficult personal issues and had also been arrested on a drunken driving charge in 1980.

"I know better than to do this," Cox said, according to the police report. "I probably cost myself my job tonight by doing this."

Cox was suspended without pay. School officials have not decided about his future in the district. It wasn't immediately clear if school officials knew about any prior arrests involving Cox.

"I don't know if we knew that for sure," said Superintendent Steven Stephanoff. "It was brought to my attention this morning. It was 27 years ago, so I wasn't sure if that would've been a major concern of ours."

Stephanoff said Cox previously worked for police departments in Fishers and Key West, Fla. Center Grove established a school police department in 2008.