A Maryland state legislator only has to serve serve two days behind bars for a DUI charge from last summer. According to the judge in the case, he suspended most of Delegate Richard Impallaria’s 60-day sentence based on the circumstances behind his arrest, which he described as “lying in wait.”
Impallaria, who represents Harford and Baltimore counties, was arrested last summer in Ocean City while he was attending a conference of the Maryland Association of Counties. According to local news sources, an officer saw that the man’s empty truck contained a beer. The officer reportedly waited for him to return to the vehicle, start his engine and open the beer. He then arrested him. Imparallaria’s blood alcohol content at the time was 0.07.
Although the judge said that the officer’s actions “rubbed the court the wrong way,” he acknowledged that Imparallaria clearly intended to drive his vehicle after consuming alcohol inside of it.
In addition to the maximum 60-day sentence he initially received after a jury found him guilty, Impallaria was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation. He had more than 50 traffic citations prior to this incident. He was also previously convicted of attempting to bribe a law enforcement officer. He still has to serve the supervised probation in addition to paying fines.
The Republican state delegate had once held leadership positions in the legislature, including minority whip. However, he was not reappointed or reelected to those leadership positions.
The circumstances of a drunk driving arrest can impact the sentence and can potentially even get charges dropped. That’s why it’s essential to have an experienced Maryland criminal defense attorney protecting your rights.
Source: Washington Post, “Md. Del. Richard K. Impallaria jailed for two days for drunken driving,” Ovetta Wiggins, April 24, 2017
