Yardley Councilman Charged With DUI

The historic town of Yardley, Pennsylvania was founded by William Yardley, who came to the colonies from England in 1682. It must have developed into a fun, happy place, because three local politicians there have been charged with DUI in the last year. The latest is Yardley Councilman Michael Ruttle. See the story here from the Bucks County Courier Times.

Ruttle, a 59-year-old lawyer and Democratic councilman, was charged with misdemeanor DUI charges in May. He has been a councilman since 2006.
The criminal complaint indicates that at about 1:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning, an officer saw Ruttle’s silver Honda Accord drift over the broken line and straddle both lanes, police said. Then, the car drifted over the road's fog line and rumble strips, until it was entirely on the shoulder of the road and nearly side-swiped the guard rail.

Once pulled over, Ruttle smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes. According to court records, Ruttle had a blood alcohol level of 0.141. Almost twice the .08 legal limit.





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Washington Mayor Coppola Arrested for DUI

This month the mayor of the small Washington town of Port Orchard was arrested for DUI. Lary Coppola (Yes, he spells his name Lary), was arrested by police who say he blocked-in a truck delivering newspapers with his car at 1:30 a.m. State police were called to ensure that the mayor did not receive favorable treatment by the local police who recognized him. They said the mayor smelled of booze, and had slurred speech and blurry eyes. His blood alcohol level was measured to be above the legal limit.

Read the story here.

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Wisconsin State Representative Jeff Wood gets 45 days For DUI

Jeff Wood, a state representative from Wisconsin was sentenced to 45 days in the slammer for driving drunk. After checking out the facts from the Green Bay Press- Gazette, it could have been worse.

The story begins two years ago when Wood was on a 200 mile road trip from Madison. With a blood alcohol limit of twice the legal limit, he slammed his car into a highway sign in Columbia County. When a state trooper came upon the scene, he saw Wood pissing on the side of the road. The trooper found marijuana and a pipe inside of Wood’s car. A breath test confirmed Wood’s blood alcohol level. This was Wood’s third drunk driving offense. He was also charged with marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Then, last fall Wood was nailed again in two different counties for DUI.

This month, for his 2008 arrest, Wood pleaded no contest to the drunk driving charge. In return, the dope charges against him were dropped. But the judge also revoked Wood’s license for 27 months, ordered him to use an ignition interlock device for two years after he regains his license, get substance abuse treatment and pay $1,294 in court costs. The judge then fined Wood $318.50 on the dope pipe paraphernalia count and suspended his driver’s license for six months, to run simultaneously with the revocation.

A video of one of his DUI problems can be found at Talking Points Memo.

It so happens that Wood is a Republican turned Independent, but substance abuse problems plague politicians from all parties – and we blog about them here. Wood claims that he is in treatment and that he has been sober for six months. Let’s hope he is serious.






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Olympia City Councilman Joe Hyer Resigns Due To Dope Charges

A city councilman from Olympia, Washington, Joe Hyer, has decided to resign. Why? It apparently has something to do with his arrest on three felony drug counts involving Marijuana! See the story here.

Hyer was arrested in February for selling marijuana to a confidential informant. He pleaded not guilty on March 9, 2010 to charges of possession and delivery of a controlled substance. Hyer admitting to making an error in judgment, though in a court filing he claimed he was entrapped.

Involvement with illegal substances usually doesn’t have a happy ending. In many cases, the user's family suffers as well. Such is the case here. In a statement, Hyer said the ordeal has been horribly detrimental to his family. A couple of felony drug charges can ruin your day, and also your career and family life. Fortunately many users have paid the consequences and managed to put the pieces of their lives back together. Let’s hope Hyer does, too.


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Los Angeles Budget Official Drinks While City Budget Crumbles

Miguel Santana DUI

Walking In L.A.!

The financial situation in Los Angeles is so serious, according to the city controller, that the city will run out of cash in a month. Read here. So what is the city’s top budget analyst doing about it? Apparently driving around drunk in a city car! Here's the story.

Los Angeles’s City Administrative Officer, Miguel Santana, was arrested March 26, 2010 by the California Highway Patrol for allegedly driving under the influence after attending a charity event.

The CHP reported that Santana was speeding in a car owned by the city when he was pulled over. It was a Honda Civic. Hmm, at least he was getting good gas mileage! Santana was arrested in Covina, near Citrus Avenue and Navilla Place. He failed a field sobriety test. He submitted to a blood-alcohol test, but the CHP refused to release the results.

Santana had apparently been working on trying to solve L.A.’s $212-million budget deficit, which is expected to more than double next year. Four thousand jobs are on the line. Is the mayor sure he has the right man for the job? Santana reportedly entered treatment and will be away from his office for weeks.

Being arrested is one thing, being convicted is another. But if Santana is convicted and has his driving privileges suspended, he will be Walking in L.A.!




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East Harlem Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell Convicted of Driving While Impaired

Just over two years ago, on March 6, 2008, a New York police officer one night noticed a car weaving back and forth and tapping its brakes without reason. Once pulled over, the driver told the officer he had only consumed a few drinks. But he reeked of alcohol and had blurred speech. He passed a field sobriety test, but then initially blew a .072 on a breathalyzer that he refused to complete. A woman in the back of the car was so drunk that she required temporary hospitalization.

There story is here, here, and here.

The driver of the car turned out to be Adam Clayton Powell IV, an assemblyman from East Harlem. He was arrested on two drunk driving counts and his trial concluded last week. The result: not guilty of DUI, but guilty of the lesser offense of driving while impaired. Powell was fined $300 and his driver’s license was suspended for 90 days.

He blamed his ordeal on a police officer who he claims fabricated the entire incident.




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Mayor Zaleski of Dickson City and his DUI

The Mayor of Dickson City in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Anthony Zaleski, was caught slobbering drunk after he was pulled over during a traffic stop last Thanksgiving. The Mayor's speech was slurred, his breath smelled strongly of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot and watery, according to the patrolman. The officer further described the mayor as staggering around and standing on the side of the road. He was arrested for DUI.

But thanks to a special program, the Mayor may have the opportunity to erase the DUI charge from his criminal history, because he is a first time offender. The program he is applying for is called Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition. His crime could be expunged from his record if he successfully completes a probationary period, which is usually several months.

Zaleski said he was greatly embarrassed by the incident, but has no intention of stepping down from as mayor or as chairman of the Lackawanna County Stadium Authority Board.

The stories can be found here, here, and here.

 



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