Wisconson AG goofs

[Bruce H]

Top Cop Busted
February 24, 2004
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - State Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager was cited for drunken driving after the car she was driving left a road in Dodge County, according to a sheriff's report.

Lautenschlager's blood alcohol level was 0.12 percent, according to a preliminary breath test cited in the report. The legal limit in Wisconsin is 0.08 percent.

Lautenschlager issued a three-paragraph statement Tuesday to Justice Department employees saying she fell asleep and drove off the road Monday night.

"I wish to apologize to each and every one of you for the negative impact my actions might have on the (Justice) Department and the public's perception of this fine institution," she wrote.

Lautenschlager, a former U.S. attorney, said she was embarrassed
and will take responsibility for her actions.

According to a Dodge County Sheriff's Department report:

A Columbus police officer said he was running radar on U.S. Highway 151 when he was contacted by a driver who was worried about Lautenschlager's driving.

The officer headed north on 151 and found in the eastbound ditch just north of state Highway 73 the 1999 black four-door Buick that the attorney general had been operating.

He said Lautenschlager told him she had a couple of drinks earlier in the evening.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

I smell a resignation in the air

 

[Boats]

Dollars to doughnuts it was a state provided car.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Where did this individual stand when Wisconsin's CCW law was being defeated?

 

[Bruce H]

Might have been in a reclining position from tipping the jug.

 

[Gray Peterson]

Where did this individual stand when Wisconsin's CCW law was being defeated?

She opposed CCW.

 

[jefmad]

Boats, It was a state owned car. In addition she was on medication that doesn't mix well with alcohol, lots of good choices happening there.

 

[AJ Dual]

I read that article in the JSOnline this morning...

My favorite game was to count how far down in the article it took to mention she was a Democrat.

Way, way, way down.

If it were a Republican AG, it'd have been in the first paragraph, if not the headline.

 

[Orthonym]

Govt. Law People as sloppy drunk criminals.

This is my second attempt to post on this one-clicked the mouse in the wrong space and my post evaporated- I only had a couple, officer, honest!

Owhell: This reminds me of something I saw in the National Lampoon years ago, when an FBI Director got in trouble violating Fed Law and had to resign.

IIRC, it was sorta like:

"Alright, I know I'm in there! Come out slowly with my hands up and nobody gets hurt!

C'mon, I know I'm upset! I'm here to help me! I can trust me! I'll put in a good word for me with the Judge. What will my friends and family think, if I do something stupid and I have to shoot me?"

And, finally, "Shuddup, mother****er, Feel that pistol in my ear? Well, if I so much as move, I'm gonna shoot me dead. Oh, yeah, almost forgot; I have the right to remain silent, anything I say... etc.etc."


Nice to see the biter bit, for a change.

 

[Standing Wolf]

She opposed CCW.

Do I look shocked? Thanks, eh?

You can always count on representatives of the Democratic (sic) party to hold themselves above the law.

 

[JJohnston015]

[facetious] Give her a break. She had a good reason for falling asleep at the wheel. All that booze and medication would make anybody sleepy. [/facetious]

 

[goalie]

Gee, CCW would put everyone in the community at risk, but drinking and taking meds then driving.............

Can anyone say "Letter to the Editor?"

 

[Orthonym]

Well then, she needs to set a good example: Stand up, do the right thing, indict herself!

 

[Monkeyleg]

State law dictates that, if a state employee using a state vehicle is found to be driving under the influence, that employee is to be terminated immediately.

Of course, AG Lautenschlager isn't a state employee, she's elected.

 

[Bruce H]

By TODD RICHMOND, Associated Press Writer

MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager pleaded guilty to a civil drunken driving violation and apologized to voters Thursday, saying "this was a big mistake."

Lautenschlager, the state's top law enforcement officer, was cited Monday after she drove her state-owned car into a ditch.

She was alone and unhurt, with a blood alcohol level of 0.12 percent, above the state limit of 0.08 percent, according to a preliminary breath test. She refused to take a blood test, and her license was automatically revoked.

Lautenschlager, 48, said she had instructed her lawyer to enter guilty pleas Wednesday to civil violations for drunken driving and refusing the blood test.

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

She left her news conference on the verge of tears without answering questions.

Lautenschlager's attorney, Stephen Meyer, said she paid the $784 fine, will have her license revoked for a year and will undergo counseling to assess her drinking habits. She can seek an occupational license in 30 days that would let her drive to and from work.

A day earlier, Lautenschlager said she has turned in the car and would pay for the damage but that she will not resign the four-year attorney general post, which she won in 2002.

The county district attorney has said no criminal charges will be filed.

District Attorney Steven Bauer said in a statement he was pleased Lautenschlager had accepted full responsibility for the incident.

 

[J Jones]

The county district attorney has said no criminal charges will be filed.

I smell patronage. What party does Mr. Bauer belong to?

 

[TCD]

District Attorney Steven Bauer said in a statement he was pleased Lautenschlager had accepted full responsibility for the incident.

No she hasn't


Any person with integrity or honor would admit to their crime and resign from their position. She has no business being in that position.