Montgomery County is still reviewing its policy on county employees’ driving privileges more than four months after police arrested a county employee with a long history of alcohol-related convictions for driving drunk at 8 a.m. in a county-owned vehicle.
The March arrest of Department of Economic Development employee Cynthia Harrison, who police records show was required to have an interlock device installed in her personal vehicle, occurred amid other alcohol-related incidents involving county employees driving county-owned vehicles.
County officials were quick to acknowledge after Harrison’s arrest was reported that she shouldn’t have had access to county vehicles and the county needed stronger oversight of who was driving its 2,200 cars and sport utility vehicles.
But change has been slow coming. Department heads first met July 27, and have convened a work group that is expected to issue a report in September, according to spokeswoman Donna Bigler.
Bigler said the process of changing county policy it complicated and involves legal and collective bargaining issues.
“It’s more than just taking one or two simple steps,” Bigler said. “They really want to make a difference.”
A trial in Harrison’s case has been set for October. She continues to work for the county.
Her arrest happened a day before a Montgomery County police officer was arrested for driving under the influence, according to police records. Police said they found Cpl. Fernando Martinez standing next to his marked cruiser on the shoulder of Interstate 270 after he had collided with a concrete barrier.
Martinez was sentenced to probation in July and continues to work for the police department, though his police powers have been suspended pending an internal investigation, according to a police spokeswoman.
Officer John Distel had a similar accident in May 2008, and was arrested and later pleaded guilty to driving under the influence. He remains with the police department and has full police powers, a police spokeswoman said.
Former Assistant Fire Chief Greg DeHaven caused a four-car pileup when he was driving back from a Washington Redskins game in a county-owned SUV in November, according to court records.
The Examiner first reported the accident, and that a junior police officer on the scene thought he may have smelled alcohol on DeHaven’s breath, but a police sergeant and captain said they did not. DeHaven is no longer with the fire department, and the crash and the county’s response have sparked several investigations.
