http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20101217/NEWS02/712179917
Published December 17, 2010 in the Rutland Herald
Former Springfield official faces DUI charge
By SUSAN SMALLHEER
Staff Writer
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A 42-year-old Springfield man faces a potential jail sentence after he was arrested for drunken driving.
Mark A. Blanchard, 42, was arraigned last week in criminal court in White River Junction on charges of reckless operation of a vehicle, a felony, and drunken driving, first offense. Blanchard was stopped Nov. 11 on Valley Street in Springfield.
Blanchard, the former chairman of the Springfield Select Board. lost re-election in March in the wake of another arrest for drunken driving.
In the November 2009 case, Blanchard eventually pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of careless and negligent operation, the second time he got a drunken driving charge reduced to a lesser charge. His first arrest came in Ludlow in 2000, according to court records.
Blanchard was arrested by a Windsor County deputy sheriff, who was running radar on Valley Street on Nov. 11, according to court records.
According to an affidavit from the arresting officer, Deputy Thomas Battista, Blanchard smelled heavily of alcohol and admitted to having two drinks within the past 30 minutes. His initial breath test showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.168, which is double the legal limit. A subsequent later test showed a BAC of 0.136.
David Cahill, the Windsor County deputy state’s attorney who handled the 2009 case as well as the most recent, said it was not unusual for people who drink and drive to reoffend.
He said Blanchard was charged with a felony count of careless and negligent driving because of the prior offenses.
According to court records, Blanchard was offered a “split” plea agreement at the time of his arraignment, which usually results in a sentence that splits the punishment between jail and probation.
Felony careless and negligent operation carries a potential four-year jail sentence and a fine of $10,000.
Former Springfield official faces DUI charge
By SUSAN SMALLHEER
Staff Writer
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A 42-year-old Springfield man faces a potential jail sentence after he was arrested for drunken driving.
Mark A. Blanchard, 42, was arraigned last week in criminal court in White River Junction on charges of reckless operation of a vehicle, a felony, and drunken driving, first offense. Blanchard was stopped Nov. 11 on Valley Street in Springfield.
Blanchard, the former chairman of the Springfield Select Board. lost re-election in March in the wake of another arrest for drunken driving.
In the November 2009 case, Blanchard eventually pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of careless and negligent operation, the second time he got a drunken driving charge reduced to a lesser charge. His first arrest came in Ludlow in 2000, according to court records.
Blanchard was arrested by a Windsor County deputy sheriff, who was running radar on Valley Street on Nov. 11, according to court records.
According to an affidavit from the arresting officer, Deputy Thomas Battista, Blanchard smelled heavily of alcohol and admitted to having two drinks within the past 30 minutes. His initial breath test showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.168, which is double the legal limit. A subsequent later test showed a BAC of 0.136.
David Cahill, the Windsor County deputy state’s attorney who handled the 2009 case as well as the most recent, said it was not unusual for people who drink and drive to reoffend.
He said Blanchard was charged with a felony count of careless and negligent driving because of the prior offenses.
According to court records, Blanchard was offered a “split” plea agreement at the time of his arraignment, which usually results in a sentence that splits the punishment between jail and probation.
Felony careless and negligent operation carries a potential four-year jail sentence and a fine of $10,000.
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