Thread: Coors' driver's license revoked for DUI

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Coors' driver's license revoked
Beer baron has 30 days to appeal in alcohol case

By Sarah Langbein, Rocky Mountain News
July 15, 2006
LAKEWOOD - A Department of Revenue hearing officer revoked the driver's license of beer baron Pete Coors on Friday.
After two and a half hours of testimony and remarks, hearing officer Scott Garber found that Coors, 59, did not stop at a stop sign and was impaired by alcohol when he drove home from a friend's wedding May 28.

Coors has up to 30 days to appeal Garber's decision in Jefferson County District Court.

Coors and his lawyer, Steve Higgins, arrived at the Department of Motor Vehicles office around 2:30 p.m. Friday. For the hearing, they brought three witnesses - a Coors security guard who stayed with him during his breath tests, a toxicologist and a private investigator who documented traffic at the intersection where Coors was stopped.

A Rocky Mountain News reporter was allowed to sit in.

Coors asked for the hearing, just days after his arrest, which was made public Thursday.

Garber gave the following account of the Colorado State Patrol's version of the incident:

At 11:25 p.m., Coors was southbound on North McIntyre Street, approaching West 32nd Avenue. He weaved within his lane and then rolled through the stop sign while turning toward his home. The trooper turned on his overhead lights, and Coors pulled into his driveway.

He had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol, but his speech and face appeared to be normal. During roadside tests, Coors was "somewhat unsteady on his feet." He slowly recounted the alphabet and counted backwards from 57 to 43.

Coors had been at a wedding reception at the Hyatt in downtown Denver, where he consumed three to four vodkas on the rocks, some sips of wine and one beer. He also ate a sizable meal.

Coors told Garber he drank the beer about 30 minutes before leaving the wedding at 11 p.m. with his wife, Marilyn.

"I didn't think I was impaired, otherwise I wouldn't have been driving," he said in a soft voice.

When the trooper pulled over Coors, he was dressed in a tuxedo, his jacket off and tie loosened.

"(The trooper) said, 'You're Mister Coors, aren't you?' " Coors said. "I said, 'Yes I am.'

"I thought it seemed extremely silly that I had to do a roadside exam on my own property."

He told the hearing officer he thought he "did a good job" of walking heel-to-toe on an imaginary line in the dark.

He was then given a breath test at his home, which registered a 0.073 percent blood-alcohol concentration.

Coors was arrested and taken to the Golden Police Department for another test. A security guard from his brewing company, Marion Amos, accompanied him at the request of Coors' wife.

There, Coors was observed for 20 minutes to ensure he was ready for the final test. He and Amos testified that Coors belched twice, which has the potential of affecting the reading of the test. Instead of waiting another 20 minutes after that, the test was conducted and gave a reading of 0.088 percent BAC, slightly over the legal limit to drive in Colorado, Coors said.

A toxicologist hired by Coors told the hearing officer that Coors' blood-alcohol concentration was on the rise when he took the test. He said that a beer's peak concentration in the blood stream happens two hours after consumption, meaning that it was still increasing between the two tests. The toxicologist estimated Coors' BAC was between 0.05 and 0.075 percent when he was driving.

Coors testified he was also under the influence of medication for gout to his ankles and toes, which affects his ability to stand.

A four-minute video compiled by private investigator Truman Leuthauser showed that vehicles rarely stop at the stop sign that Coors is accused of passing by.

On three occasions, Leuthauser witnessed nearly 500 vehicles approach that stop sign. Only one car stopped at or before the sign, he said. Most cars pulled ahead, stopping closer to the intersection because it's obstructed by trees, he said. There is no stop line or marking on the pavement at the intersection.

"You can't see if you stop at the stop sign," he said.

The hearing officer later agreed the sign is in a peculiar place, saying that law enforcement "could make a mint monitoring that intersection." But, he added, he believed the trooper when he said that Coors failed to stop altogether.

After a 15-minute break, Garber decided to revoke Coors' license, saying he was required to use a preponderance of the evidence - a relatively low threshold - as the standard.

Other than appealing the decision, Coors now has two options.

He can have his license revoked for three months. On Oct. 13, 2006, he can pay a $60 fee, show proof of insurance and pay a $15.60 fee for a new license.

Or he can choose to get a probationary license, meaning he cannot drive for 30 days and then pay $5 for the temporary license. He will only be allowed to drive to work and to appointments for "fundamental health needs" for the next five months. Then he can reapply for a full license.

Coors did not comment after the hearing, pointing reporters to a statement he released Thursday, saying he was sorry for bad judgment and still stood by his company's message that people who drink should plan ahead for a safe ride home.

langbeins@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-2536

The guy can't catch a break, can he?