A former Clark County commissioner is facing criminal charges following a car accident he was involved in, according to local sources. He was arrested in the early evening of Dec. 11 by Nevada law enforcement in Las Vegas. Currently, no court date has been set for him.
The police report contains almost no information about why the man was pulled over or why he was arrested. No mention was made of any roadside sobriety tests being performed, or even if he was acting suspiciously at the time of his arrest. Nevertheless, it was reported that he was arrested and taken to Clark County Jail at approximately 7:50 p.m.
The 65-year-old former state lawmaker resigned earlier this year. Family issues, which were not detailed, were cited as the reason for his resignation. With regard to the drinking and driving accusations, he was released on bail shortly after being booked into the jail.
Presumably, more information will be forthcoming concerning the drunk driving charges. Nevada prosecutors will have their work cut out for them in attempting to prove the guilt of a former lawmaker. There was no indication that the man has an existing criminal record of drunk driving incidents. Evidence in the form of a roadside sobriety test or blood test may need to be presented to the court, proving the man was above the .08 legal limit at the time of his arrest. If such evidence does not exist, or was collected in a way that infringed on the man’s rights, the state may have to rely upon the personal observations of law enforcement authorities involved in the arrest, which it typically seen as a less reliable form of evidence.
Source: knpr.org, “Former Clark County Commissioner Expected To Face Drunk Driving Charge“, Dec. 14, 2015
