Marion Barry Free at Last
Councilman Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) was acquitted on all charges late yesterday, his lawyer’s defense of his May 2006 arrest for drunken driving complete. Barry was also acquitted of misuse of temporary tags and driving an unregistered vehicle.
Afterwards, Barry was heard to have said “This was an effort by the government to embarrass me and break my spirit.” No, it had nothing to do with the smell of alcohol, or the failure to abide by the officers’ request. Nope, nothing to do with that.
So, the other big question was, who was in the car with him? He says he won’t reveal who it was, but if you examine the criteria (black, female legislator from Oklahoma), there are just a few options. Anastasia Pittman, Judy Eason Mcintyre, or Constance Johnson… wonder why none would come to his aid?
I’m shocked to be saying this, but since the breathalizer reading was only .02 I have to agree with Barry.
Mike, I share your shock, as I, too, think this might be overzealous prosecution.
I heard him interviewed on WTOP last night, he said “bitch set me up.”
Maybe more stupid prosecution than overzealous. If he was driving erratically they should have just hit him with reckless driving or the like. The WaPo article doesn’t say but he was supposedly stopping at green lights and driving through red ones and otherwise behaving oddly.