A Jonesboro city councilman faces serious consequences after neighbors leveled a drunk driving accusation against him. He already spent a night in jail and had to make a courtroom appearance. The Oct. 10 incident involved a collision with a mailbox near the councilman’s Georgia home. Fortunately, no one was injured.
According to the woman who owns the mailbox, the councilman was having difficulty navigating a curve near his home. He nearly collided with a tree but instead veered into the woman’s mailbox. Backing his pickup away from the mailbox, he then proceeded to his home a few houses down the block.
The mailbox owner soon sent her husband to the councilman’s home to straighten out payment arrangements, and the councilman agreed to take care of the damage the next day. The owners of the mailbox decided to call the police to report the accident anyway. After a second meeting with the councilman minutes later, the owners stated that they could smell the odor of alcohol on the councilman and that he showed signed of drunkenness.
Police arrested the councilman and charged him with DUI, leaving the scene of an accident, and failure to maintain a lane. They took him to jail, where he spent the night. At his court hearing the next day, evidence showed that the councilman was over the 0.08 legal limit. He was released on a $9,500 bond.
Although the accident was a minor one, many drunk driving accidents end in injury and even death. In those serious accidents, victims who were injured have the opportunity to file a personal injury claim against a drunk driver who caused an accident. Doing so can result in compensation for hospital bills and other expenses incurred from the accident.
Source: CBS 5 AZ, “Police: Jonesboro city councilman runs over mailbox, arrested for DUI,” Bernard Watson, Oct.11, 2012