Golden – Beer magnate and former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Pete Coors pleaded guilty Friday morning to driving while impaired by alcohol.
Coors, who was arrested May 28 on a drunken-driving charge, entered the plea to the lesser charge against the advice of his attorney, Stephen Higgins.
“I have a strong temptation to explore my legal options,” Coors told Jefferson County Judge James Demlow.
But Coors said his arrest “has been very embarrassing to me and to my family, and to my company.” He added that he wanted to admit his mistake and get the incident behind him.
Demlow sentenced Coors to 24 hours of community service, which will include his participation in a Mothers Against Drunk Drivers panel. Demlow suspended the $200 fine, but Coors must pay other costs as mandated by state law.
The offense puts eight points on his license, which was suspended in July for three months. Coors has been seen riding his bicycle on errands in Golden.
Pleading down from DUI to DWAI is the usual offer the Jefferson County district attorney’s office makes to first-time DUI offenders, said DA spokeswoman Pam Russell.
Coors was arrested when a Colorado State Patrol trooper pulled him over after he saw Coors’ 2004 green Jaguar roll through a stop sign around the corner from his home.
Police reports say the trooper smelled alcohol on Coors’ breath. The 59-year-old Coors failed a field sobriety test, which the officer conducted in Coors’ driveway.
Coors then was taken in handcuffs to the Golden Police Department, where he registered a 0.088 blood-alcohol level, which is slightly above the 0.08 limit in Colorado.
His attorney said he advised Coors not to plead guilty. “I’m highly suspicious of the stop in this case,” Higgins told the court
Higgins noted the police report showed Coors was cooperative, followed directions and did well in the field sobriety test except for standing on one leg, which he said was difficult for Coors because he has gout.
The trooper’s report stated that Coors recited the alphabet and counted backwards from 57 to 43 too slowly, Higgins said, and guessed 30 seconds was up after 35 seconds.
The test indicated Coors was “not intoxicated. At best, he was impaired,” Higgins said.
Doors told the court Friday that he had attended a wedding where “I had a couple of drinks, three or four, during the course of several hours.”
He said he left the wedding thinking he was “perfectly OK to drive,” adding he asked several people – including his wife who was in the car with him – if they thought he was fit to drive.
Coors said he drove home without incident and in “total control” and was surprised when he was stopped.
“I have great respect for the highway patrol,” Coors said. The trooper “could have been looking for somebody who was a little bit more of a danger to the community, but they found me.”
Before the judge passed sentence, Coors admitted he “did not meet standards” set by the legislature. “I have apologized publicly for having been in that condition.”
He added that he is a “good citizen” with no tickets and no record of accidents “except for two run-ins with deer.”
“I’ve learned a lot, sir,” Coors told Demlow. “I hope the things that I’ve learned will be helpful to others.”
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
