Sheriff's office comments on commissioner incident

Source: The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.迷你倉Nov. 07--The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday stood by its actions in handling an alcohol-related incident earlier this year involving a county commissioner and the local Democratic chairman.Commissioner Liane "Buffie" McFadyen and Democratic Party Chairman Ron Greenwell were contacted by deputies late Jan. 25 in Pueblo West.The two were sitting in McFadyen's vehicle, which was parked and not running, keys not in the ignition.McFadyen, who had been in the driver's seat, admitted to drinking a glass of wine an hour and a half earlier. Greenwell, in the passenger seat, said he hadn't been drinking and that he could drive them home.According to a deputy dashboard video, a Breathalyzer was given to Greenwell but not McFadyen.Greenwell registered a 0.14 on the breath test, which is over the legal intoxicated limit of 0.08.Deputies told the two they needed to call for a ride and McFadyen's husband soon arrived."It is a decision that falls within the deputy's discretion and in this case was not second guessed," an office statement said. "In this 9-month-old contact, it was actually three deputies who concluded the circumstances justified the response. The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office supports their decision."Undersheriff JR Hall said the office was not responding beyond the issued statement. Sheriff Kirk Taylor has been out of the office this week on a hunting trip and could not be reached for comment.District Attorney Jeff C自存倉ostner said he had asked for information and evidence in the case for a while but was given it only recently."I had asked for this information for some time and it was sent to me last week," Chostner said. "Basically, what evidence was collected is the evidence in the video. All I can tell you is from a prosecution point of view and under current case law, there is not significant evidence to go through with prosecution. She is not in control of the car. The radio wasn't on, lights weren't on, keys weren't in the ignition."Chostner said his office has taken an "initial look" at the case and will likely ask an outside prosecutor to review it "which is typical in these cases because it involves an elected official."McFadyen, in a statement, said she and Greenwell had been with friends earlier in the night at "family night" at the Desert Reef Hot Springs in Florence. The two had been dropped off at their cars, parked in a parkand- ride lot in Pueblo West, and were talking in McFadyen's vehicle when they were contacted about 11:30 p.m. by deputies.McFadyen a former state legislator, was sworn in as commissioner on Jan. 8.In county office less than a year, McFadyen has led local efforts for muchneeded roadway improvements in Pueblo, which recently was awarded $108 million in projects.nickb@chieftain.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Pueblo Chieftain (Pueblo, Colo.) Visit The Pueblo Chieftain (Pueblo, Colo.) at .chieftain.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉