Posted on 07/21/2006 10:16:19 AM PDT by SmithL
Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Albertini was arrested for public intoxication Thursday night in Knoxville, sheriff’s officials said.
According to a corporal at the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Detention Facility, Albertini was booked into the jail at 1:07 a.m. He was released at 6:04 a.m. today after his arraignment, and the charges were dismissed.
It was not immediately clear where Albertini was arrested or the actions that led up to the arrest.
A message left with the Albertini campaign was not immediately returned this morning. State Republican Party officials and the sheriff’s department also didn’t immediately return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Earlier Thursday evening Albertini attended a Republican rally at Elizabeth Lane Farm in Knoxville. The event was billed as an opportunity to hear Republican U.S. Senate and gubernatorial candidates speak for five minutes each about their campaign goals.
Albertini, a real estate developer from Chattanooga, faces an uphill primary battle against state Sen. Jim Bryson. In his most recent campaign finance report, Albertini said he had raised $500 — less than 1 percent of Bryson’s $520,000 haul.
Albertini appeared at Bryson’s campaign kickoff event last month in Chattanooga and said his opponent "has not worked to cut spending" while in the Legislature.
His campaign Web site says that among his top issues are opposition to abortion, illegal immigration and the state pension system.
A total of seven Republican candidates are running in the Aug. 3 primary. The winner will likely face Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen in the general election.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Albertini spent Thursday night in jail in Knoxville after a run-in with a Knoxville Police officer.
Albertini, 45, pleaded no contest to a charge of public intoxication on Friday morning and was released.
The GOP hopeful said he had a full glass of red wine at lunch on Thursday, but he said he did not feel he was intoxicated.
"I was not wobbly on my feet. They did not give me any kind of field test or breath test," he said.
Albertini is running on the GOP ticket and had gotten some surprising poll numbers in the contest with Sen. Jim Bryson.
The candidate said he went to a Republican rally at Elizabeth Lane Farm in Knoxville, but was not allowed to speak. He said he was told that Bryson was one of the sponsors of the event.
He said two police officers approached him and asked him to leave. He said he asked them not to escort him out, saying he would leave on his own.
Albertini said he stopped at a nearby intersection and got out to distribute campaign literature. He said an officer came up and told him he was not to be soliciting in that area.
He said he had some words with the officer, challenging him on which section of the law prohibited the solicitation. He said, "Looking back, I should have been more respectful of the officer and not questioned him."
He said the officer took him aside and told him he smelled of an intoxicant. He said he then was placed in custody and taken to jail.
He said he appeared before a judicial commissioner on Friday morning, then was released after his no contest plea. He said he was not required to pay any fine. The charges were dismissed.
He was booked into the jail at 1:07 a.m. and was released at 6:04 a.m.
Albertini said, "I have put my heart and soul in this election and I have been shut out of the process."
He said he is Italian and grew up drinking wine. But he said in the future, "I'll just drink wine before going to bed."
Sounds like this guy is harmless, just trying to get his message out in one of those symbolic campaigns.
The cops don't need to be arresting people for having alcohol on their breath, they should leave 'em alone and spend a little more time going after real criminals.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.