A judge cleared Harford County?s chief public defender Lloyd Merriam of driving under the influence and resisting arrest charges placed against him in October.
Assistant Baltimore County State?s Attorney Kim Detrick said Tuesday she has decided to drop the charges because further investigation revealed that Merriam might have sufferred from some degree of diabetic shock during the incident.
“There was documented evidence that he was suffering from an existing medical condition,” she said.
A judge transferred Merriam?s case to Baltimore County because of his relationship with judges and prosecutors in Harford County.
According to court records, the 52-year-old partook in a minor collision in the area of Rock Spring Road and East/West Highway in Forest Hill shortly before 9 p.m. on Oct. 27. Responding state troopers said they detected alcohol on his breath, and he appeared to have trouble with his balance. He failied to cooperate when they attempted to take him into custody, the troopers alleged.
Merriam had consumed “two drinks” during dinner at a restaurant earlier, Detrick said. When state troopers conducted a breathalyzer test, he registered a .06 blood alcohol level, .02 below the legal limit. Detrick also said the diabetic shock Merriam experienced that night can often mimic drunkenness.
“Once back at the barrack, his insulin kicked in, and his condition improved tremendously,” she said.
Neither Merriam nor his lawyer, H. Edward Andrews of Bel Air, returned phone calls Tuesday afternoon.
