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Posted on July 17, 2018 in DUI Case
As we all know, the Fourth of July traditionally features fireworks, get-togethers with family and friends – and arrests for drinking and driving. One of those arrested this past holiday was Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim. We usually avoid celebrity gossip postings about famous people arrested for various charges. However, this one is important because of what has already occurred.
A Chandler police report originally claimed that Keim misidentified himself as the team’s director of security after he was stopped. But after release of the officer’s body camera footage of the DUI arrest, police reversed course and said the officer would correct the record.
A statement from Chandler police said that after the review of the camera footage, it became clear that Keim said Shawn Kinsey was director of Cardinals security.
According to a news outlet, the police report of the arrest said Keim’s eyes were bloodshot and that he slurred his words. It also stated that he smelled of alcohol as he was pulled over just a few houses away from his Ocotillo neighborhood home.
The arresting officer said he saw Keim swerving between lanes and then speed by when the officer made a turn. The cop then apparently decided to turn around and pull Keim’s vehicle over.
In the footage, the officer asked Keim how much he had had to drink. The GM said he had two beers. “Just two?” the officer asked before returning to his patrol car.
A few minutes later, a second officer had Keim perform a roadside sobriety test and asked him to blow into a breathalyzer, which the football executive declined to do.
Keim was then arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
The important part of this story is that absent media scrutiny, the Police would have continued to assert that Mr. Keim made false and misleading statements, or that he was so impaired that he didn’t know his own name. The fact that the Police report already had to be amended is indicative of how many DUI investigations are being conducted and the lens of bias through which reports are being written.
If you have been arrested for DUI, the next step in the process is an important one: contacting an attorney experienced in drunk driving defense. Before talking with a prosecutor, speak with a lawyer who will protect your rights, freedom and driver’s license.