Update: Congressional Candidate Herb Rule Calls Fayetteville DWI Arrest "Trumped up Charges"
By: KARK 4 News, Little Rock
Updated: August 10, 2012
Herb Rule, who's running for Congress in Arkansas' Second District, has been
arrested on a DWI charge in Fayetteville.
The 74-year-old Little Rock Democrat was booked into the Washington County Jail shortly after one o'clock this morning and released just before four o'clock.
But Rule says he's fighting the charges, calling them "trumped up" in a statement released Friday.
Here's the full statement from his team:
"While returning to his hotel last night after meeting with friends and supporters in Northwest Arkansas and having dinner, Rule was stopped by Fayetteville Police for failing to signal a lane change. Rule had dinner two hours before being stopped. Rule said, "I was not drunk. I was in complete control of my faculties. I will fight the charges vigorously and will win. The arrest was without cause and I refused the breathalyzer and blood test as permitted by law."
"Rule met in Springdale this morning to speak to the convention of the Arkansas Association of Counties about the need to create more jobs and support better education. He thanked the County officials for their steadfast service in keeping to their budgets and providing incomparable service to the people of Arkansas."
According to the incident report, Rule was arrested in the 4000 block of North Shiloh just after 10:30 Thursday night.
He is also charged with three other counts, including improper lane change; failure to use signal; and violation of the implied consent law.
Complete police report:
On 8-9-2012 at approximately 2159 hours, Ofc D. and I were traveling Northbound on N. College in the center traffic lane when I noticed the vehicle in front of me, a white colored Lexus ES300, drift onto the white striped lane markings and then drift back into the center lane, traveling below the posted speed limit.
As we approached the Joyce Blvd intersection, the vehicle began to cross into the left lane, but did so at an angle, occupying 2 lanes, and did so without signaling. The vehicle continued to travel into the turn lane without signaling. When the traffic signal turned green, the vehicle began to turn westbound onto Joyce from N. College, still not using a turn signal. I initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle at 4007 N. Shiloh.
I made contact with the driver, Herbert Rule, who was verbally unwilling to cooperate with my instructions. I smelled the odor of intoxicating beverages coming from his person and from the vehicle. I initiated Standardized Field Sobriety Testing with Rule and after explaining and demonstrating all portions of each test, Rule completed the tests in a manner consistent with that of an intoxicated person.
Rule was placed under arrest for DWI and transported to WCSO for BAC testing where he refused to sign any paperwork and refused to submit to a BAC test. Rule was charged with improper lane use, failure to use signal device, DWI, and violation of the implied consent law.
The 74-year-old Little Rock Democrat was booked into the Washington County Jail shortly after one o'clock this morning and released just before four o'clock.
But Rule says he's fighting the charges, calling them "trumped up" in a statement released Friday.
Here's the full statement from his team:
"While returning to his hotel last night after meeting with friends and supporters in Northwest Arkansas and having dinner, Rule was stopped by Fayetteville Police for failing to signal a lane change. Rule had dinner two hours before being stopped. Rule said, "I was not drunk. I was in complete control of my faculties. I will fight the charges vigorously and will win. The arrest was without cause and I refused the breathalyzer and blood test as permitted by law."
"Rule met in Springdale this morning to speak to the convention of the Arkansas Association of Counties about the need to create more jobs and support better education. He thanked the County officials for their steadfast service in keeping to their budgets and providing incomparable service to the people of Arkansas."
According to the incident report, Rule was arrested in the 4000 block of North Shiloh just after 10:30 Thursday night.
He is also charged with three other counts, including improper lane change; failure to use signal; and violation of the implied consent law.
Complete police report:
On 8-9-2012 at approximately 2159 hours, Ofc D. and I were traveling Northbound on N. College in the center traffic lane when I noticed the vehicle in front of me, a white colored Lexus ES300, drift onto the white striped lane markings and then drift back into the center lane, traveling below the posted speed limit.
As we approached the Joyce Blvd intersection, the vehicle began to cross into the left lane, but did so at an angle, occupying 2 lanes, and did so without signaling. The vehicle continued to travel into the turn lane without signaling. When the traffic signal turned green, the vehicle began to turn westbound onto Joyce from N. College, still not using a turn signal. I initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle at 4007 N. Shiloh.
I made contact with the driver, Herbert Rule, who was verbally unwilling to cooperate with my instructions. I smelled the odor of intoxicating beverages coming from his person and from the vehicle. I initiated Standardized Field Sobriety Testing with Rule and after explaining and demonstrating all portions of each test, Rule completed the tests in a manner consistent with that of an intoxicated person.
Rule was placed under arrest for DWI and transported to WCSO for BAC testing where he refused to sign any paperwork and refused to submit to a BAC test. Rule was charged with improper lane use, failure to use signal device, DWI, and violation of the implied consent law.
