Senator Kerry Defends Daughter Booked on Suspicion of DUI
Sen. John Kerry's daughter was arrested Thursday in Los Angeles and booked on suspicion of DUI, police said.
According to the Associated Press, officers stopped Alexandra Forbes Kerry for expired registration tags.
She refused to take a preliminary alcohol screening test which led to her arrest.
The 36-year-old film producer and director was booked at the Hollywood police station, where she was given a formal blood alcohol test.
The former US presidential candidate however defends his eldest daughter pointing out that she blew under California's legal limit of .08.
According to Jodi Seth, the senator's spokesperson, Kerry said in a statement, "(he) supports his daughter and will have no further comment on a private matter."
Police said she was arrested by officers after she allegedly violated a traffic law which got their attention.They then conducted a field sobriety test, which she failed.
Police arrested the US Senator's daughter because it appeared she was under the influence of an intoxicant.
At the police station, she was given a breathalyzer test and blew under the legal limit, but was still booked on suspicion of DUI.
Police would not specify what substance Kerry allegedly used or what her blood-alcohol level may have been exactly.
She was held for about five hours and later released after posting $5,000 bail, police said.
A DUI charge is considered a misdemeanor in California.
As discussed here previously, state officials are reviewing laws looking at stiffer penalties for DUI offenders.
But currently, under California law, individuals could still be prosecuted for DUI even if they passed a breathalyzer test and the vehicle was judged to have been operated unsafely due to alcohol or other impairing substances.
Alexandra Kerry is due in Los Angeles Municipal Court on Dec. 10, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office Web site.
- State DUI Laws (FindLaw)
- Offenses Involving Alcohol or Drugs (CA DMV)
- Overview of DUI (provided by The Law Offices of Claude S. Smith)
- Breathalyzer Refusal and Implied Consent Defense (provided by Jardine Law Offices)