Kentucky state Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton was arrested for driving under the influence in Jefferson County early Tuesday morning.
Chester-Burton, a 62-year-old Democratic lawmaker from Shivley, was arrested around 1 a.m. on Garrs Lane in Shivley, a spokesperson for the Shively Police Department told the Kentucky Lantern. She was charged with reckless driving and a second offense of driving under the influence.
According to Louisville Metro Corrections records, the representative was booked around 2:30 a.m.
Chester-Burton began her first term in the House in 2023. While she was mayor of Shivley, she was arrested for DUI in 2020 after falling asleep in a drive-through line at a White Castle.
House Democratic Caucus leaders Reps. Derrick Graham, Cherlynn Stevenson, and Rachel Roberts released a statement Tuesday afternoon: “While we do not yet have details, we are very concerned about the charges facing Rep. Chester-Burton. Without knowing more information, we are unable to comment further at this time.”
According to the arrest citation, police officers were responding to a domestic violence call when Chester-Burton drove her vehicle into oncoming lanes of traffic and “sat there for a minute forcing an oncoming vehicle to pass around her in the opposite oncoming lane.” Chester-Burton then pulled into the correct lane, but stopped her vehicle in the middle of the road and put it into park.
When officers approached Chester-Burton, they “could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” from her and her speech was fast and slurred, the report said. Chester-Burton told officers she was coming from Frankfort and “people were calling her and asking what was going on in Shively.”
One of the officers asked Chester-Burton how much she had to drink, but she “would never directly answer the question” and kept referring to the calls she was getting, the report said. She attempted to get back in her vehicle a few times, but officers stopped her “in fear of getting behind the wheel intoxicated.” She asked to “call the chief,” the report continued, and added she attempted to get into her backseat but almost fell.
Chester-Burton declined to do a field sobriety test and a preliminary breath test, the report said. Chester-Burton was asked again to do a field sobriety test “numerous times” and she “stated that she would not and she would beat it like she did the last one.”
After arrest, Chester-Burton again asked to call the chief “but she was denied and placed under arrest,” the report said.
“The subject on spontaneous utterance to the officer transporting her to jail stated that ‘these guys act like they haven’t ever been to a birthday party,’” the report said.
Chester-Burton will be arraigned in Jefferson District Court Wednesday morning.
--30--
Written by McKenna Horsley. Cross-posted from the Kentucky Lantern.
Comments
