May 24, 2012
UPDATE 3/12/12 @ 8:25 a.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A former jail official pleaded guilty to a DUI charge on Monday.
John King has been charged twice for driving drunk -- but he only pleaded guilty to one DUI charge.
Under the plea agreement, the other DUI charged was dropped.
After his latest arrest in February, police said King was swerving all over the road. He failed a field sobriety test and his blood alcohol level was more than two times the legal limit.
King was also charged with DUI last April. That's when he lost his job with the state.
During his hearing Monday, the Kanawha County Magistrate sentenced King to pay a $500 fine, but he didn't get jail time. King also lost his license and will have to go through alcohol treatment classes.
King faced up to six months in jail on the one DUI charge.
King was the director of the West Virginia Regional Jail Authority.
According to the criminal complaint, John King II was arrested along 6th Avenue in South Charleston early Thursday morning. Police say the officer pulled King over because he was swerving from side to side almost striking several parked cars.
The officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol and found King with blood shot eyes and slurred speech, according to the complaint.
The officer performed a field sobriety test on King and the officer says he failed parts of all three tests. Then, the officer administered a preliminary breath test for alcohol on scene and found King's blood alcohol level at .191, according to the complaint. After King was taken to the police station, he registered a .185. That's more than two times the legal limit.
This is the second time King has been arrested on a DUI charge. Back in April, King was charged with aggravated DUI.
A hearing on the first DUI has been continued several times, but a new hearing is scheduled for February 28.
King was arraigned on the new charge Thursday morning in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. The magistrate set his bond at $500.
According to a spokesperson at the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, King is no longer an employee of the state.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the very latest information.
ORIGINAL STORY
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A man whose job involves putting people behind bars found himself spending the night in his own jail.
According to the South Central Regional Jail web site, John King, was incarcerated at 3:39 a.m. Sunday.
Officials at the jail tell WSAZ.com that King is the deputy chief of operations.
They say he was brought in on aggravated DUI charges, and has since been released.
Joe DeLong, the executive director of the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority, tells WSAZ.com King has been suspended without pay from his position.
DeLong says the agency will let the legal proceedings run their course before any other decisions will be made. The agency will also conduct its own internal investigation.
This is the agency's standard protocol when something like this happens, according to DeLong.
John Lopez will fulfill King's duties until this issue is resolved, according to DeLong.
Lopez is currently the Director of Programs in the central office. Lopez originally started in the operations division so DeLong says he has experience in this area.
Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for the latest information.
|
Popular Searches Powered by Local.com |
