Denver residents might be familiar with the tiny town of Dillon as a pit stop on the way to Vail or Breckenridge. The mini municipality has a population of just 900 or so, including its mayor.
While it’s rare for Dillon residents to make the news, the mayor recently nabbed a headline or two after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. After being pulled over for running a stop sign, the mayor reportedly had a heavy smell of alcohol about him. An officer performed first a field sobriety test and then a breath test. His BAC (blood alcohol content) was measured at 0.161 percent; slightly lower than the 0.17 percent that can resulted in an aggravated DUI charge.
The mayor apparently told officers he had been drinking, but that it had been “hours ago.” After his arrest, he apologized for his “terrible mistake that night.” According to an area newspaper, he noted that it was the first time he had ever been arrested for DUI and that this “one bad mistake” shows that “it can happen to anyone.”
As regular readers of our Denver DUI blog know, a BAC of 0.17 percent can result in designation as a persistent drunk driver. That designation means enhanced fines, the likelihood of required increased participation in alcohol abuse awareness programs and the lengthening of the period during which you must have an ignition interlock device in your vehicle.
A persistent drunk driver designation might also make it more difficult for you at the Department of Motor Vehicles when you ask to have your suspended driver’s license reinstated so that you can drive to work or school.
Colorado doesn’t treat its persistent drunk drivers lightly. An experienced DUI defense attorney can pursue for you the best outcomes in negotiations with prosecutors and at the DMV.