Posted on 10/21/2007 4:25:40 PM PDT by LdSentinal
COLUMBIA — Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, was arrested Saturday night on suspicion of driving while intoxicated after Columbia police said he rear-ended a vehicle in south Columbia.
At about 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Graham, 42, was driving on Green Meadows Road near his home when he rear-ended a vehicle stopped near the intersection of Green Meadows Road and Bethel Street, Columbia police Sgt. Lloyd Simons said. The vehicle Graham hit then hit a vehicle in front of it. The airbag in Graham’s vehicle deployed, and Graham was treated and released from University Hospital after complaining of pain in his arm, Simons said. The other drivers were not injured in the crash. Both of the vicims’ vehicles sustained minor damage, Simons said. Graham’s vehicle sustained moderate damage.
Ted Farnen, Graham’s spokesman, wrote in an e-mailed news release that police took Graham into custody while he was exchanging insurance information with the other drivers. When reached by phone on Sunday, he declined to elaborate on the incident.
Messages left for Graham at his home were not immediately returned.
Graham was left paralyzed from the neck down after he was injured in car accident when he was 16 years old, according to previous Missourian reports. Graham is serving his first term as state senator from the 19th district of Missouri, which includes Boone and Randolph counties. He previously served four terms in the Missouri House of Representatives. Graham earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1987.
Graham was released from the Boone County Jail on Sunday morning after posting $500 bond.
Driving while intoxicated is a class B misdemeanor on the first offense and carries a penalty of up to six months in jail.
that’s the trouble with drinking—
you can’t tell when to stop!
let’s see if he is forced to step down if convicted....this is a lot worse than was Larry Craig ever did...
Just a thought...DUI is a bad idea even when you’re not a paraplegic. I’m guessing it’s a doubly bad idea when you are.
Good point. I mean, Larry might have rear-ended some people, but I’m pretty sure he didn’t damage their cars in the process.
And he's driving?
Just their caboose.
So did this version.
Sen. Chuck Graham, D-Columbia, was arrested...
No, he's a member of the Congress with a (D) next to his name. That means he's immune from prosecution. Just ask Ted Kennedy.
This is a First!
Chuck Graham had been mentioned as a possible candidate for Congress, should Kenny Hulshof retire or resign. That’s up the creek.
I’ve never understood handicap parking places at liquor stores.
Better call "Moneypenny Kennedy".
Ten Dollars to a donut says he'll claim he was late for a vote and was under the influence of Ambien or whatever that sleeping pill is?
Drunk, no less.
Weird
They say he has a good head on his shoulders.
From the Belleville News-Democrat:
Columbia Police Sgt. Dan Beckman said officers smelled intoxicants on Graham, noticed his eyes were watery and bloodshot and that he slurred his words and mumbled. Beckman said that according to a probable cause statement, Graham acknowledged consuming "a few" beers before driving.
Graham refused to submit to a breathlyzer exam and would not provide a blood sample.
His arm isn’t the only thing that would be hurting if he hit me. His WALLET would be in SERIOUS PAIN after I got through suing the hell out of him. Damn hypocrite!!!
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