Czar Wars
"I?m sure Czar Walters thought he would be in friendly territory at the Trib.
"But after his opening remarks, in which he summarized at great length how his office planned to carry out its presidential mandate to cut drug use in America 10 percent in two years and 25 percent in five, he quickly discovered he was behind enemy lines.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_102766.html
Drug czar arrested
BY SARAH FISHER Northwest Arkansas Times
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
Arkansas' drug director, Bill Hardin, has resigned his position as
supervisor of the state's drug task forces as a result of his arrest
Friday in Johnson on a charge of driving while intoxicated.
Johnson Police officer Billy Dunn arrested 57-year-old Hardin around
midnight Friday morning after he was stopped for speeding on Main
Street. He may face charges of DWI No. 1, violation of the Arkansas
implied consent law and speeding. "Bill Hardin resigned this weekend as
state drug director after being charged with driving while intoxicated,"
a statement released by the governor's office states. "The governor
accepted his resignation. The governor said he was sorry about Mr.
Hardin's situation and affirmed his support of Mr. Hardin personally,
but he felt such a charge wasn't appropriate for someone in a leadership
position in state government. The governor said it was especially
damaging to the credibility of someone in a position such as the one
held by Mr. Hardin. The resignation was effective immediately."
Hardin was reportedly driving a black Toyota Landcruiser about 40 mph in
a 30 mph zone and crossed the center line just east of the bridge on
Main Street when Dunn stopped him. Dunn noted in his report he could
smell alcohol coming from Hardin when they talked, Hardin's speech was
noticeably slurred and his eyes were bloodshot. "I asked him to the rear
of the vehicle wanting to be sure it was him I was smelling because the
odor was so strong," Dunn stated in the arrest report submitted to the
Washington County Jail when Hardin was booked in. "He told me he had a
few drinks during dinner and then went to a party where he had a few
more drinks."
The report goes on to state Hardin failed four field sobriety tests and
blew. 134 in a portable Breathalyzer test. Results from a Breathalyzer
are not admissible in court and officers are trained to acquire any
evidence of intoxication through a Blood Alcohol Concentration test.
Hardin allegedly refused the test. "He was arrested for DWI and taken to
my unit where he told me he worked for the governor of the state," Dunn
wrote. "He was then transported to the Johnson P. D. where he refused to
take the BAC Datamaster test to determine his blood alcohol content."
An officer then transported Hardin to the Washington County Jail for
booking where he was released on his own recognizance. On Monday,
Washington County Sheriff Steve Whitmill said the request to release
Hardin without a bond through a bondsmen was made by Dunn. Such a
request for a DWI charge is rare, the sheriff said. "The point of a bond
is to ensure their appearance in court, Whitmill said." If you're
reasonably sure they'll show up in court we don't require them to post a
bond, and we were reasonable sure this individual would show up in
court. "
The arrest report lists the speeding violation as 15 mph over the posted
speed limit, although it states Hardin's speed as 40 mph in a 30 mph
zone.
Hardin was appointed by Huckabee in May 1998 to replace former drug czar
Olan" Butch" Reeves. Hardin's duties included devising and implementing
policies concerning illegal drugs and communicating with federal
agencies in acquiring grants for the drug task forces throughout the
state. He retired in 1997 from the FBI after 28 years of service in both
Fayetteville and Little Rock.
And I'm supposed to get a letter published in the next couple of days in the Pgh Tribune Review.
