Story Archive

Lead by Example

Police in Denver, Colo., pulled over a driver for making an illegal turn, and found the man behind the wheel had slurred speech, a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, and was unsteady on his feet. He failed a roadside sobriety test, and Dan Pabon, 38, was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Pabon is the Democratic speaker pro tem of the Colorado House; the legislator has worked to increase the penalties for impaired driving, including a a requirement to force drunk drivers to appear before a “victim impact panel” to face the victims of drunk drivers. The governor has pledged to sign the bills into law. “My conduct carries with it a lot of consequences, both legal and professional,” Pabon said in a “tearful” statement to reporters, “and I’m willing to accept whatever that is.” Well, except that he has said he won’t resign from the legislature, and won’t even give up his leadership position. He is up for re-election in November. (RC/Denver Post) ...Where he’ll be forced to appeal to the voter impact panel, consisting of victims from his district.