Principal Kills Self After Dwi Arrest

A high school principal, who had told students and residents about his struggle with alcoholism, apparently leaped to his death after a newspaper reported his arrest for drunken driving.

The body of David Matthews, who resigned as principal of Portsmouth Senior High School on Monday, was found Wednesday morning at the base of Cathedral Ledge in North Conway, N.H. A car registered to Matthews was found in a parking lot atop the 500-foot ledge.

The day before, the Portsmouth Herald had reported that Matthews was charged with drunken driving in Amesbury, Mass., in April. That arrest followed what colleagues said had been a yearlong, public battle with alcoholism.