He admits making a serious error in judgment and apologizes Published: Feb 6, 2009 11:15PM
Former Lane County Commissioner Bobby Green was arrested Thursday night in Eugene on a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge, police said Friday.
A Eugene police officer stopped Green’s Chevy Blazer on Echo Hollow Road in west Eugene at 11:31 p.m. after seeing the vehicle stray from its traffic lane, police department spokeswoman Melinda Kletzok said.
The officer conducted a field-sobriety test and determined that Green, 54, was intoxicated, Kletzok said.
The officer transported Green to Eugene City Hall, where further testing was done, Kletzok said.
Green was cited on charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants and failure to drive within a lane, and later released from police custody. He was not taken to jail.
“He was treated just like anybody else” arrested on a drunken-driving charge, Kletzok said.
Green was ordered to appear in Eugene Municipal Court on the charges on Feb. 19.
Kletzok said Green was “very compliant” when he was taken into custody. Green was alone in the Blazer when he was pulled over, Kletzok said.
Green, who served 13 years as the county’s north Eugene commissioner before being narrowly defeated in last November’s election by Rob Handy, spoke briefly about his arrest when contacted Friday by The Register-Guard.
“I acknowledge I made a serious error in judgment and one that I will learn from,” he said, adding that he has apologized to his family, friends and other community members. “I now ask that our privacy be respected as we deal with this matter.”
Kletzok declined to disclose Green’s blood-alcohol content at the time of his arrest, citing state law governing the release of information gathered during criminal investigations.
After losing his commissioner seat, Green was hired last month to work as a lobbyist for the Salem-based Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs.
The nonprofit organization represents agencies from around the state that provide addiction treatment services and programs for developmentally disabled and mentally ill people.
