Wisconsin AG apologizes for Drunken Driving Arrest, Pleads Guilty

The Janesville Gazette ^ | February 26, 2004 | Jenny Price (AP)

[Chummy]

AG apologizes for drunken driving arrest, pleads guilty

(Published Thursday, February 26, 2004 09:15:27 AM CST; updated Thursday, February 26, 2004 11:56:25 AM CST)

By Jenny Price/Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. -- Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager apologized to Wisconsin citizens Thursday for her drunken driving arrest, pledging to learn from her mistake.

Lautenschlager, the state's top law enforcement official, read a statement to reporters and television cameras in the Department of Justice building near the Capitol. She said she cannot take back what happened Monday night, but she will learn from it.

"The challenge of life is learning from one's mistakes," Lautenschlager said. "This was a big mistake, and I have much to learn."

Lautenschlager said she instructed her attorney Wednesday to enter a guilty plea on her behalf. She said she would pay the $784 fine and not contest the revocation of her license.

Lautenschlager was driving home to Fond du Lac from Madison Monday night when she drove her state-owned car into a ditch.

She had a blood alcohol level of 0.12 percent, above Wisconsin's legal limit of 0.08 percent, according to a preliminary breath test cited in the arrest report. She refused to submit to a blood test.

Dodge County District Attorney Steven Bauer said in a statement he was pleased Lautenschlager had accepted full responsibility for the incident. But his statement did not indicate for how long Lautenschlager would lose her license. His office said he was out of state Thursday and refused to take questions.

Lautenschlager's attorney, Stephen Meyer, did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press Thursday.

[Chummy]

Still waiting to hear how AG Lautenschlager will be dealt with regarding her apparent violation of Wisconsin Department of Administration policies on driving a state-owned (taxpayer paid, that is) vehicle while in a drunken condition.

[Prince Charles]

Lautenschlager, the state's top law enforcement official, read a statement to reporters and television cameras in the Department of Justice building near the Capitol.

Did she take a snort of bourbon right before, to calm her nerves?

[Sloth]

I assume she's a Dem, since the article states no party?

[The G Man]

LOL! I was thinking the exact same thing!

[Chummy]

VERY perceptive of you, Sloth!

It's Journalism Programming language: IF the article does not mention a political affiliation THEN the offender is a Dem.

[Wally_Kalbacken]

She should resign. 

But then again - the State Bar of Wisconsin has some of the most lenient standards in the country. They mildly punish significant violations of professional ethics and state law. So if that is the standard for lawyers in the state - this will be like water off a duck's back. If this had been a Republican, the GOP would have called for his resignation. The fact that it is a Democrat (and that explains a lot about why it is a woman with a rather undistinguished career outside of positions obtained by political appointment) means she will not step down.

[Indy Pendance]

Suprisingly, the first story mentions it about 3/4 into the article.

(Wisconsin Attorney General) Lautenschlager arrested for DUI

Lautenschlager: AG's alcohol level was 0.12 (Wisconsin Democrat - Won't Quit)

[Glenn]

Dang. That's a mouthful of name she has there.

Reminds me of a night in Vegas with Goldschlager pouring like tap water. It's not spelled that way but phonics allows for the derivation.

[grellis]

Another thread on this subject was just pulled. It was basically the same article but at the very end it referred to one of her "fellow democrats." We all know that if this were a Republican official, it would have been in the headline with 100-point caps.

[Chummy]

In Wiscahnsin, da choice would be a shotta brandy.

[EGPWS]

Thursday for her drunken driving arrest, pledging to learn from her mistake.

I'm sure her pledge will be sufficient to preserve her position in the state, as it would be sufficient for you or I in such a scenario.

[Chummy]

Lautenschlager, a former US Attorney appointed by Klinton, defeated the Republican (and far better) candidate for AG, Vince Biskupic (whose brother is the current US Attorney in these parts).

[Prince Charles]

A snort of brandy and some deep-fried cheese curds! Life is good.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Yes and she won in 2002 with less than 52% of the vote. It would be very winnable in a special election. We just have to keep pressure on her to resign.

[Redbob]

" this had been a Republican, the GOP would have called for his resignation."

Dims OTOH are much less inclined to eat their own, a la Trent Lott.

[Indy Pendance]

Wisconsinites' love affair with brandy

It's been rumored that our state is not only populated with beer swillers, but brandy slammers, as well. A few Web sites even reported that Wisconsin is responsible for 90 percent of the world's brandy consumption, so we decided to go straight to the source: Korbel, the top brandy maker in the United States.

"Wisconsin is our number one state," says Margie Healy, director of public relations for the California-based Korbel. "We export 385,000 cases a year, and 139,000 go directly to Wisconsin. That's one-third of our total production."

[mountaineer]

she drove her state-owned car into a ditch.

I trust she also will pay for any necessary repairs to the vehicle.

[Chummy]

"Dims OTOH are much less inclined to eat their own, a la Trent Lott."

Oh, how right you are, Redbob. Here's more, from another article on the Badger Top Cop's Drunk Bust. Note the SADD director's comments, in particular:


AG's arrest for drunken driving has ramifications
(Published Thursday, February 26, 2004 11:55:42 AM CST)

By Robert Imrie/Associated Press

The drunken driving arrest of Wisconsin's attorney general is a devastating blow for efforts to discourage such behavior, says the executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Wisconsin.

But others involved in campaigns to rid the roads of drunken drivers said it was too early Wednesday to tell what the impact of Peg Lautenschlager's arrest will be.

"She is a human being. People make mistakes," said Linda Janick of Milwaukee, state coordinator of Students Against Drunk Driving. "I don't think it has an impact on her profession as far as her ability to do her job. She seems very remorseful that she got herself in this situation."

Lautenschlager, 48, a former Democratic state lawmaker, was arrested and cited for first-offense drunken driving Monday night after she ran off the road and put her state car in a Dodge County ditch while driving from Madison to her home at Fond du Lac.

She pleaded guilty to the offense through her attorney, Dodge County District Attorney Steven Bauer said Thursday.

Lautenschlager refused to take a blood test following her arrest, a decision that means she could lose her driver's license for one year. A breath test done by the arresting officer indicated her blood-alcohol level was 0.12 percent, according to police reports. The legal limit in Wisconsin is 0.08 percent.

Lautenschlager, elected to a four-year term in 2002, said Wednesday she had no plans to resign as attorney general and would be making a full public statement about the incident.

Kari Kinnard, executive director with MADD of Wisconsin, said it was too soon to call for Lautenschlager's resignation, but "this is a devastating blow to the fight against drunk driving."

"When the top cop is arrested for OWI and the alcohol-related crashes in Wisconsin are one of the leading causes of fatalities and injury on our roadways, it is definitely sending the wrong message."

In coming days, the attorney general must "go with her conscience" and examine whether she can continue to represent her agency and the state in a respectable and responsible manner, Kinnard said.

The arrest cast a shadow of doubt over Lautenschlager's credibility to speak up against drunken driving, Kinnard said, noting that her agency houses victims' services in Wisconsin.

Many MADD members and others "are feeling betrayed, feeling outraged and questioning her credibility in those capacities," she said.

Dan Lonsdorf, head of the Bureau of Transportation Safety in the state Department of Transportation, said about 35,000 people are arrested every year in Wisconsin for suspected drunken driving.

Safety experts estimate that on any given night in Wisconsin, there are 18,000 intoxicated drivers on the roads.

"That means there are 2.6 million drunken drivers that we don't arrest," he said. "That is scary. That is the reality. That is a shame."

The most recent statistics show about 40 percent of the fatal accidents in Wisconsin involve alcohol, down from 50 percent years ago but still above the national average, he said.

Lautenschlager's arrest may not be all bad for advocates who work to change behaviors about drinking and driving, Lonsdorf said.

"If it raises awareness about the broad reach of drunken driving - in the sense that it happens to a lot of people, Wisconsin takes it very seriously and it doesn't matter who you are - if that message gets out, no one is immune, that would certainly be a positive message," he said.


http://www.gazettextra.com/lautenschlager_fallout022604.asp

[joesnuffy]

I dont think Pegs law practice ever went much farther than that chinsey basement closet she was quarted in...in Oshkosh Wi back in the early 80s...

I believe that after she got rid of hubbie number 1 and became the darling of the leftie femanazi Dems that she has made her living holding political offices..never could figure out
how she had enough experience to have "merited" a federal prosecutors job...but then she is of the Janet Reno era...and a Clintonista ..imo

She "Refused" the blood test....interesting how the Attorney General of Wisconsin..."MZZ Strickness" on Drunk Driving...refuses the blood test...not too worry.. the Dem Gov and Lt Gov
and all of Wisc Law Enforcement bureaucrats will protect their commisar....

She should be forced out...driving a State owned vehicle...and refusing the blood test...kinda makes one wonder what was in the blood that she felt compelled to have to detox out before she dared take that test...or what was under the car seat...

Peg...you need to resign....its the honorable thing to do...given your stand on drunk driving..

Law Enforcement should be backing max penalties for one of their own betraying their office...
especially with her REFUSAL to take the blood test...

They should have tied her down and taken it like they would have done from any other peon who crashed a state car while drunk....

Then issuing a phony statement saying she "fell asleep"....when the fact is she "passed out"
She is a danger to herself and others

Shame Shame Shame....
imo

[martin_fierro]

*Hic* Semper Tyrannis.