Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre has chosen to stay on the job after being arrested on “extreme” DUI charges last month.
According to police reports, Sierra Vista officers arrested McIntyre in the early hours of January 28 after his blood alcohol level was found to be 0.21%. A DUI of his extreme is a DUI in which the driver suspects that he has his BAC greater than or equal to 0.20%.
In a statement released Monday, McIntyre lamented his decision to drive while disabled, but insisted it did not disqualify him from the duties he was elected to perform. .
“I regret that these choices cloud the fine work of so many professionals with whom I have had the pleasure of working,” McIntyre wrote. ‘s accusation is not a legal impediment to my continuing as Cochise County Attorney. The question I personally struggled with was whether it poses a moral impediment.”
“After consulting with my team and outside support groups, and receiving a number of positive and negative comments from the community, I have decided to remain in the office to carry out my elected duties,” McIntyre said. bottom.
McIntyre added that his resignation would leave the Cochise County Board of Supervisors to determine his replacement, which could disrupt the office’s “future policies, goals and objectives.”
If convicted, McIntyre will face at least one year unless he installs an “ignition interlock” in his car that allows the judge to stay all but 14 days of his sentence, per state law. He will have to serve 45 days in prison. McIntyre will also face thousands in fines.
His next court appearance is February 16, according to a statement captured by an officer’s body camera, but it wasn’t immediately clear which court would host the hearing.
Please contact reporter Perry Vandell at 602-444-2474 or perry.vandell@gannett.com. follow him on twitter @Perry Vandel.
