Coors Pleads Guilty to Lesser Drunk Driving Charge
George Kochaniec, Jr.
Beer executive Pete Coors, left, and his attorney Stephen Higgins
leave Jefferson County Court in Golden this morning after a hearing on
his recent DUI charge. Coors pleaded guilty to driving while impaired and
was sentenced to 24 hours of community service and had his drivers
license suspended for three months.STORY TOOLS Email this story | Print
By Julie Poppen, Rocky Mountain News August 25, 2006
Beer magnate Pete Coors pleaded guilty this morning in Jefferson
County Court to a lesser charge of driving while impaired in his DUI
case.
| Beer executive Pete Coors, left, and his attorney Stephen Higgins leave Jefferson County Court in Golden this morning after a hearing on his recent DUI charge. Coors pleaded guilty to driving while impaired and was sentenced to 24 hours of community service and had his drivers license suspended for three months. |
He made the plea against the advise of his attorney.
County Court Judge James Demlow waived the $200 fine associated with
the charge because it was Coors’ first offense, but
sentenced him to 24 hours of community service. Coors also will have to
pay minor court costs and attend an education course on alcohol
abuse.
Coors’ attorney, Stephen Higgins, told the judge
his client should have fought all the charges.
He was originally charged with driving under the influence May 28
after a test showed his blood alcohol level at 0.88 percent. The legal
limit in Colorado is .08 percent.
Higgins said that in his 30 years of legal experience, Coors had the
best roadside sobriety check he’s seen. He said
Coors’ speech was normal and that he followed
directions well. Coors did have trouble standing on one leg, but Higgins
said Coors has gout.
Coors told the judge he “has learned a lot” from the experience
saying, “This has been a very embarrassing experience for me and my
family and my company.”
He had attended a wedding before he was stopped by police and he
admitted to having consumed “three or four drinks.” He said he had them
over the course of several hours.
“I left the party believing I was perfectly OK to drive,” Coors
said.
He said his wife, who was a passenger in his vehicle, and others at
the reception agree he was sober enough to drive.
“I arrived home without incident believing I was in total control of
the vehicle,” Coors said, and was surprised when a state trooper pulled
in the driveway behind him.
While taking responsibility for his actions, he said he had “a strong
inclination to pursue legal options” but he wanted to plead guilty so he
could put the incident behind him.
He also said he wished the police were “looking for someone a little
more dangerous to the community” than pulling him over in his
driveway.
Higgins told the judge that Coors spends a good deal of time now doing
volunteer work and hoped that could count toward the community service
requirements.
Coors received eight points on his driver’s
license, which was taken from him earlier. He will get it back in three
months.
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