Richmond Councilman Jewell gets suspended jail term in DUI

By: Will Jones | Times-Dispatch
Published: December 08, 2009

Richmond City Councilman E. Martin Jewell pleaded no contest yesterday to driving under the influence in October and apologized to his constituents and the community.

"I made a mistake. I should not have driven after drinking," the 5th District council member said outside Richmond's John Marshall Courts Building.

Substitute Judge Randy Rowlett fined Jewell $500, with $250 suspended, and imposed a 90-day jail sentence with the time suspended for three years. Jewell's driver license also was suspended for 12 months, but he will be allowed to drive to and from work, including City Council functions. Jewell is owner of Total Home Care, a residential cleaning service.

In addition, Jewell was referred to the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program, an anti-drunken-driving school that will last at least 10 weeks. Attorney Craig Cooley, who represented Jewell, said the punishment was standard for a first-time offender such as Jewell.

Richmond police pulled over and arrested the councilman 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 that would trigger mandatory jail time.

The state's maximum punishment for first-offense DUI, a Class 1 misdemeanor, is one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

Jewell would not discuss the night of his arrest, but he said he and his son had attended a party at a friend's house that coincided with homecoming weekend at Virginia Union University.

Jewell, who was first elected to the council in 2004 and re-elected in 2006 and 2008, said he hopes constituents will not hold his conviction against him. The 5th District includes the Randolph and Byrd Park areas north of the James River and part of Hull Street on South Side.

"I made a mistake. I own up to it," he said. "People make mistakes every day, but this mistake won't happen again."

Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or wjones@timesdispatch.com.