Richmond City Councilman E. Martin Jewell today pleaded no contest to driving under the influence in October and apologized to his constituents.
"I was wrong to drink and drive. I made a mistake, and I'm going to step up and be responsible for it," the 5th District council member said.
In Richmond General District Court, Judge Randy Rowlett fined Jewell $500, with $250 suspended, and imposed a suspended 90-day jail sentence. Jewell's driver license was suspended for 12 months, but he will be allowed to drive to and from work, including City Council functions.
He also was referred to an alcohol-treatment program that will last at least 10 weeks. Defense attorney Craig Cooley, who represented Jewell, said the sentence was standard for the first-time offender.
Richmond police pulled over and arrested Jewell about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 24 near Byrd Park. Cooley said Jewell's blood-alcohol reading was 0.11 percent. In Virginia, a motorist is presumed to be legally intoxicated with a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher. Cooley noted that Jewell's level was below the 0.15 percent level that would trigger mandatory jail time.
Jewell would not discuss details of the night of his arrest but said he and his son had attended a party at a friend's house that coincided with homecoming weekend at Virginia Union University.
-- Will Jones
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