PA Bill Number: HB1472
Title: In primary and election expenses, further providing for reporting by candidate and political committees and other persons and for late contributions ...
Description: In primary and election expenses, further providing for reporting by candidate and political committees and other persons and for late contrib ...
Last Action: Referred to STATE GOVERNMENT
Last Action Date: Apr 22, 2024
Lawyer: State Sen. Pat Browne will seek ARD for DUI :: 10/14/2015
State Sen. Pat Browne seeks ARD for May motorcycle crash, despite past drunken driving arrests.
State Sen. Pat Browne will ask to be placed in a pretrial program for first-time offenders, his attorney said Monday, even though a May motorcycle crash was not Browne's first drunken driving arrest.
Lawyer Robert Sletvold said he believes Browne is eligible for the program because his last arrest for drinking and driving was 16 years ago. By statute, any drunken driving arrest outside of a 10-year window is considered a first offense.
Browne, 51, was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Lehigh County for charges stemming from a May 2 crash as he exited Interstate 78 at the Lehigh Street ramp in Allentown. The senator did not attend the hearing. Sletvold entered a not guilty plea on Browne's behalf.
If he's accepted into and successfully completes the accelerated rehabilitative disposition program —commonly called ARD — Browne will avoid a mandatory three-day prison sentence and $1,000 fine. His arrest record will also be expunged.
Browne suffered a punctured lung, several broken ribs and a foot injury when he wrecked his motorcycle heading west on I-78. He was charged with two counts of drunken driving, one for being incapable of safe driving and the other for having a blood-alcohol content between 0.08 and 0.10 percent.
Browne was also cited for speeding.
When police responded to the crash, Browne told a state trooper he wasn't injured, but an officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol and noticed Browne's speech was "slow and slurred," court records show.
This is Browne's third drunken driving offense in 20 years and his first in 16 years. He remains free on bail.
Sletvold said Browne, a Republican, is busy in Harrisburg this week, but is "doing well" in his rehabilitation efforts. Browne's next court appearance is Nov. 2.
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-allentown-pat-browne-dui-arraignment-20151012-story.html
