Jewell Sentenced To Suspended Jail Term in DUI
From the Times Dispatch (this follows coverage for his arrest in October): Richmond City Councilman E. Martin Jewell pleaded no contest yesterday to driving under the influence in October and apologized to his constituents and the community. “I made a mistake. I should not have driven after drinking,” the 5th District council member said outside Richmond’s John […]
From the Times Dispatch (this follows coverage for his arrest in October):
Richmond City Councilman E. Martin Jewell pleaded no contest yesterday to driving under the influence in October and apologized to his constituents and the community.
“I made a mistake. I should not have driven after drinking,” the 5th District council member said outside Richmond’s John Marshall Courts Building.
Substitute Judge Randy Rowlett fined Jewell $500, with $250 suspended, and imposed a 90-day jail sentence with the time suspended for three years. Jewell’s driver license also was suspended for 12 months, but he will be allowed to drive to and from work, including City Council functions. Jewell is owner of Total Home Care, a residential cleaning service.
In addition, Jewell was referred to the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program, an anti-drunken-driving school that will last at least 10 weeks. Attorney Craig Cooley, who represented Jewell, said the punishment was standard for a first-time offender such as Jewell.
Richmond police pulled over and arrested the councilman about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 24 near Byrd Park. Cooley said Jewell’s blood-alcohol reading was 0.11 percent. In Virginia, a motorist is presumed to be legally intoxicated with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher. Cooley noted that Jewell’s level was below the 0.15 percent that would trigger mandatory jail time.
The state’s maximum punishment for first-offense DUI, a Class 1 misdemeanor, is one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
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