Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Schoesler prohibited from imbibing
RITZVILLE – The 9th Legislative District senator pleaded not guilty Thursday, Sept. 12, on a charge of driving while under the influence of alcohol.
But Adams County District Court Judge Andrea K. Russell determined there was probable cause for the charge against 67-year-old Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville. She scheduled him to appear before her again Oct. 8 in the 210 W. Broadway Ave. courthouse
Schoesler was released on his own recognizance to a family member following his Aug. 31 arrest by citation at the Wheat Land Communities’ Fairgrounds, 811 E. Main Ave., after the conclusion of the Ritzville Rodeo.
According to Police Chief Dave McCormick, witnesses saw Schoesler walking unsteadily on a bridge over a swale at the fairgrounds at about 9:35 p.m. The bridge connects the fairgrounds to a field cordoned with stakes and rope for parking.
As he went to leave in his pickup, he backed into another vehicle twice, the chief said.
Responding police officer Matt Carlson found the senator sitting in his pickup, ignition off, McCormick said. With a crowd gathering and uneven ground to conduct a field sobriety test, the officer transported Schoesler to the police station in town.
There, he failed the field sobriety test and four Breathalyzer blood-alcohol tests, records show. His average blood-alcohol level was 0.14, nearly twice the 0.08 legal limit.
After failing the test and with the Adams County Jail closed, Carlson released Schoesler into the custody of a family member who took him home, records show.
McCormick said reports show Schoesler was cooperative with police during the entire time he was being evaluated and arrested by citation.
Schoesler represents the 9th Legislative District, including eastern Adams and Franklin, southern Spokane, Lincoln, Whitman, Columbia, Asotin and Garfield Counties.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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