The underage son of U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse appeared in court Friday where he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of intoxicated driving.
Alexander Whitehouse, 19, was arrested Monday morning for DUI after a witness told police a car was driving erratically at the intersection of Green End Avenue and Aquidneck Avenue in Middleton, according to the Barrington Patch.
The witness also told police that the passenger was holding up a beer bottle and that both occupants appeared to be intoxicated. The car then drove into the parking lot of the 7-Eleven at a high rate of speed and the two young men stumbled out of their car.
When police arrived that saw the driver, Alexander Whitehouse, pull a beer out of the driver’s side door and empty the contents on the pavement.
Whitehouse told police he was returning from a party where he had three beers and four shots of gin. A breathalyzer test revealed his blood alcohol level was .091, which is actually over the legal limit of .08 for the majority of states. He also failed other field sobriety tests.
Whitehouse was then placed under arrest and charged with the presence of alcohol while operating a vehicle and transportation of an alcoholic beverage by a minor. By pleading no contest, Whitehouse will lose his license for 3 months, be required to participate in a drunk driving education class and pay a fine.
His passenger was also arrested for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia after police found a glass pipe and a brass pipe. Also found in the car was an empty bottle of vodka, a flask with gin, beer bottles and knife with sheath.
Not every offender chooses to plead no contest instead they will seek out a DUI attorney to contest the charges in court. Stopping a conviction is important as this will mar a person’s record, which can be nearly impossible to rehabilitate.
Highly-skilled attorneys have a number of defense strategies they can employ when a person is willing to fight in court.
