Gov.-elect Martin O?Malley failed several field sobriety tests and refused to take a Breathalyzer nearly two decades ago when he was pulled over on suspicion of drunken driving, according to a report obtained by WBAL Radio.
O?Malley told Montgomery County police he?d had “nothing” to drink after an officer watched him swerve across the dividing line of traffic, driving up to 50 mph in a zone where the speed limit was 35, in his 1982 Chevrolet Malibu, according to the police report.
In an interview with WBAL, O?Malley denied Thursday that he refused to take a Breathalyzer test.
WBAL reported that it obtained the report through a Maryland Public Information Act request on Thursday and posted it on their Web site.
Steve Kearney, a spokesman for O?Malley, said Friday, “We’ve got a lot of work to do getting ready for the next four years. We’re not going to roll around in the mud about a 20-year-old not guilty verdict.”
O?Malley was not convicted of driving under the influence. Kearney would not respond when asked whether new details of O?Malley?s Aug. 9, 1987 arrest would reduce his authority on drunken driving issues once he takes over the governor?s mansion.
Montgomery police forwarded questions on the timing of the report?s release ? days after the election ? to a spokesperson, who could not be reached Friday because of the holiday weekend.
O?Malley was pulled over and arrested at about 5 a.m. while he was driving on East-West Highway in the Chevy Chase area, the report says. He initially told police he?d had three beers, but later said he hadn?t drunk anything. Officers reported that his eyes were watery and his breath smelled of alcohol, and O?Malley put “chewing tobacco into his mouth to apparently hide the odor.”
Police then began the field sobriety tests.
“The defendant was asked to say the alphabet,which he did correctly,” the report says. O?Malley then waved his arms around to retain his balance while performing a heel-toe test, took 12 and 13 steps up and down a line respectively instead of the nine steps he was ordered to take, according to the report, and had trouble remembering instructions.
