Councilwoman Winslow Pleads Guilty to DUI, Despite Prior Denials
With additional reporting by Matthew Charles Cardinale.
(APN) ATLANTA — On February 04, 2014, Atlanta City Councilwoman Cleta Winslow (District 4) pled guilty as part of a plea bargain in her Driving while Under the Influence (DUI) case, stemming from her DUI arrest on May 07, 2013.
As previously reported by Atlanta Progressive News, Winslow was driving in the wrong lane, weaving in the roadway, ran a red light and a stop sign, appeared to be heavily intoxicated, and was generally a hot mess when pulled over by an Atlanta Police Officer.
After the incident, Winslow lawyered up with high-profile Atlanta DUI attorneys, who, during a press conference, attempted to cast doubt on the police report. She also pleaded not guilty.
However, despite this strategy of trying to evade responsibility, Winslow has changed her plea to guilty.
According to the court documents obtained by APN from the office of Fulton County State Judge Susan Edlein, last May Councilwoman Winslow was tagged for the DUI, reckless driving, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to obey a (traffic) control device, and driving on the wrong side of the road.
Winslow must pay 700 dollars in court fees.
“I’ve changed my behavior over the last six months and doing some things differently and not hanging out with some of the friends I had before, so I’m trying to make some changes,” Winslow told Judge Edlein, according to a video of the court proceeding taken by 11 Alive television news.
“Good,” Edlein said.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/320840/40/Cleta-Winslow-pleads-guilty-to-DUI
Winslow is required to complete forty hours of community service; and participate in Risk Reduction, a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Panel, and a Victim Impact Panel.
In addition, Winslow must participate in drug and alcohol rehabilitation “and undergo treatment if recommended by the evaluating agency.”
Winslow’s moral and ethical issues are mounting. In November 2013, Winslow was fined two thousand dollars by the City of Atlanta Board of Ethics for using city funds to support her 2013 reelection campaign. It is the second time she was assessed a fine for the same violation of city code. She also was fined 1,500 dollars after she did the same thing during her 2009 reelection campaign.
(END/2014)