MARTINEZ — Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe pleaded no contest Tuesday to two misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence, officials said.
Thorpe was not in superior court in Martinez on Tuesday, according to Contra Costa District Attorney spokesman Ted Asregadoo. Attorney Dan O’Malley represented him, Asregadoo said.
In an interview on Tuesday, the mayor said he took “full responsibility and accountability for my actions and accept the court’s decision.”
“Although a mistake in judgment on my part, I have sought to grow from this moment and have worked to turn my mistake into a teachable moment,” Thorpe said.
Judge Rebecca Hardie sentenced Thorpe to two days in the sheriff’s alternative custody facility. One day already has been served, Asregadoo said.
She also sentenced Thorpe to three years of probation and ordered him to pay fines consistent with DUI violations and court fees.
Thorpe also will have to attend a school for three months that educates violators on the dangers of alcohol, Asregadoo said.
The sheriff’s office alternative custody program offers avenues such as home detainment with an ankle monitor or clean-up work on a road crew in place of traditional jail time, officials said.
According to Asregadoo, prosecutors charged Thorpe after a March 19 vehicle stop that happened about 1:15 a.m. in Pleasant Hill. Prosecutors determined that Thorpe had a blood-alcohol level of .08%, which is considered impaired for a driver on California roads..
Thorpe posted a video to social media hours after the arrest to apologize to Antioch residents, saying he had a drink while dining with a friend.
Following the DUI arrest, Mayor Pro-Tem Mike Barbanica, a retired Pittsburg policeman, and Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock both called for Thorpe to resign.
Thorpe lateravoided a recall effort launched months before the drunken driving incident after those who organized it failed to turn in the necessary signatures to qualify an initiative for the ballot.
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Source: www.mercurynews.com