Former El Paso State Rep. Pat Haggerty Arrested On Suspicion Of DUI In Calif.

by Julian Aguilar and Keegan Kyle, Voice of San DiegoAugust 4, 2010

Former State Rep. Pat Haggerty, R-El Paso was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in San Diego, Calif. on Saturday after failing a sobriety test at a police checkpoint, according to a report first confirmed by the Voice of San Diego, a non-profit news organization. State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, was one of three people in the car with Haggerty (the other two occupants have not been publicly identified). Police arrested the lawmaker-turned-lobbyist after finding his blood-alcohol level exceeded the .08 state limit.

Haggerty did not return phone calls seeking comment about the incident but Fraser, who was not arrested, had this to say: “I did not suspect the driver was intoxicated. If I had thought that he was impaired in anyway, I would have offered to drive.”

Rita, a records clerk with the San Diego Sheriff?s Department who declined to provide her last name, confirmed the agency had Haggerty in its custody after the DUI arrest. He was later released after posting a $2,500 bond.

Lawmakers and lobbyists from all over the U.S. are in San Diego this week for the American Legislative Exchange Council.

It is still unclear whether Haggerty will be charged with a crime. The San Diego City Attorney’s Office, which handles misdemeanor crimes in San Diego, has not yet received recommended charges from the California Highway Patrol, spokeswoman Gina Coburn said.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at http://trib.it/agoHgE.