NEW YORK (AP) -- State Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV was charged with drunken driving after police said he was unsteady behind the steering wheel and then failed a breath test early Thursday.
Powell, who represents East Harlem in the state Assembly, was stopped around 2:30 a.m. while traveling north on a Manhattan parkway, police said.
A complaint filed in Criminal Court said Powell "had watery eyes, had slurred speech, had the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and was operating the vehicle in an unsteady and abrupt manor." Authorities said Powell told police he had a few drinks but was not drunk.
Powell, the son of an iconic New York congressman and civil rights activist, was arraigned Thursday afternoon on charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle while impaired on the Henry Hudson Parkway near 82nd Street. No plea was entered at his arraignment, and he was released without bail.
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, said that a woman was asleep in the backseat of Powell's car when he was pulled over. But authorities said the woman had no bearing on the case.
Judge Frederick C. Arriaga ordered Powell, 45, to undergo alcohol screening and suspended his driving privileges pending the outcome of the case.
Prosecutors said Powell asked police why they were stopping him and giving him the breath test.
"I don't want to blow into it," prosecutors said he told police. "Is this really necessary?"
Prosecutor Greg LeDonne said Powell took the test and then asked police, "What did I blow?"
"I had a few drinks, but I'm not drunk," Powell said, according to LeDonne. "I'm not drunk because I ate something."
Powell's attorney Stacey Richman, in arguing for his release, told the judge her client had roots in the community and had dedicated his life to public service.
"A boulevard is named after his family," she said, referring to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, a thoroughfare in Harlem.
Powell, while leaving court with this lawyer, told reporters he was "looking forward to my day in court."
"Did you guys ever hear of innocent until proven guilty?" he said before getting into a black Porsche sports car driven by his lawyer.
Powell, a Democrat, is the son of the late U.S. representative and civil rights activist Adam Clayton Powell Jr. After serving on the New York City Council from 1992 to 1997, Adam Clayton Powell IV was first elected to the Assembly in 2000.
In 2004, Powell was investigated by police in Albany over an allegation he sexually assaulted a 19-year-old legislative intern after a night of drinking in a motel room. The woman initially told police Powell provided her alcohol then forced her to have sex. Powell's lawyer later said the woman recanted.
Later that year, prosecutors cleared Powell in the report of a rape of a woman in his Manhattan apartment
Powell, who represents East Harlem in the state Assembly, was stopped around 2:30 a.m. while traveling north on a Manhattan parkway, police said.
A complaint filed in Criminal Court said Powell "had watery eyes, had slurred speech, had the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and was operating the vehicle in an unsteady and abrupt manor." Authorities said Powell told police he had a few drinks but was not drunk.
Powell, the son of an iconic New York congressman and civil rights activist, was arraigned Thursday afternoon on charges of operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle while impaired on the Henry Hudson Parkway near 82nd Street. No plea was entered at his arraignment, and he was released without bail.
A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, said that a woman was asleep in the backseat of Powell's car when he was pulled over. But authorities said the woman had no bearing on the case.
Judge Frederick C. Arriaga ordered Powell, 45, to undergo alcohol screening and suspended his driving privileges pending the outcome of the case.
Prosecutors said Powell asked police why they were stopping him and giving him the breath test.
"I don't want to blow into it," prosecutors said he told police. "Is this really necessary?"
Prosecutor Greg LeDonne said Powell took the test and then asked police, "What did I blow?"
"I had a few drinks, but I'm not drunk," Powell said, according to LeDonne. "I'm not drunk because I ate something."
Powell's attorney Stacey Richman, in arguing for his release, told the judge her client had roots in the community and had dedicated his life to public service.
"A boulevard is named after his family," she said, referring to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, a thoroughfare in Harlem.
Powell, while leaving court with this lawyer, told reporters he was "looking forward to my day in court."
"Did you guys ever hear of innocent until proven guilty?" he said before getting into a black Porsche sports car driven by his lawyer.
Powell, a Democrat, is the son of the late U.S. representative and civil rights activist Adam Clayton Powell Jr. After serving on the New York City Council from 1992 to 1997, Adam Clayton Powell IV was first elected to the Assembly in 2000.
In 2004, Powell was investigated by police in Albany over an allegation he sexually assaulted a 19-year-old legislative intern after a night of drinking in a motel room. The woman initially told police Powell provided her alcohol then forced her to have sex. Powell's lawyer later said the woman recanted.
Later that year, prosecutors cleared Powell in the report of a rape of a woman in his Manhattan apartment
No comments:
Post a Comment