AURORA | Councilmember Rob Andrews pleaded guilty in court Tuesday to driving under the influence and was sentenced to 10 days of in-home detention, probation and community service.
Andrews was arrested Jan. 17 after police said he was driving a pickup truck erratically at about 9:30 p.m. in east-central Aurora. Police said he failed a roadside sobriety test and later was given a breath-alcohol test that registered a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.252, more than three times the legal limit for a charge of driving drunk.
On Tuesday, Andrews accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to one charge of driving under the influence. An Arapahoe County Court judge sentenced Andrews to 10 days of in-home detention, a year of probation and 48 hours of community service, in addition to treatment, an educational class and paying court costs and fees. Andrews must begin his 10-day detention by June 16.
Two other counts were dismissed as part of the plea deal. If Andrews doesn’t complete his treatment or violates the terms of his probation, he faces a $600 fine.
Andrews told the judge that he had made a mistake and was apologetic for his actions. The driving under the influence charge was Andrews first criminal offense.
“I made a mistake, and I want to take full accountability for it and going forward, I promise you it won’t happen again,” Andrews said.
The judge told Andrews that she agreed his actions were out of character and appreciated that he was taking accountability.
“I hope this was an eye-opening experience and you recognize how you put other people at risk, as well as yourself,” she said. “Obviously a lot of people in the community depend on you and I hope moving forward you set a different example.”
Andrews’ attorney said the incident has been “very embarrassing” for Andrews and he has been working with Mothers Against Drunk Driving since the incident.
In an initial statement Andrews shared with the Sentinel the morning after his arrest, he admitted to the charge, apologizing to the community and insisting he would accept the consequences and make amends. He also posted an apology on social media.
“Accountability has to be more than words,” he said in a social media post. “While this plays out, I am voluntarily registering for a restorative justice class, working on meeting with and working with MADD Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and taking proactive steps to ensure this never happens again in any form.”
However, Andrews later said he didn’t believe some parts of the widely publicized allegations were accurate, but didn’t provide more specific details.
“I will say clearly, though, like every citizen, I have the right to due process, and there are parts of what has been claimed and documented that I don’t believe are true, including inconsistencies I am addressing through the proper channels,” he said at a January city council meeting.
In February, Andrews’ attorneys sought information about the arresting officer in the case, James Shupe, and his credentials for administering breath alcohol testing.
When asked by the Sentinel, Aurora police said that Schupe’s credentials were valid at the time of Andrews’ evidential breath alcohol test.
In addition, police said users must enter their certification PINs each time a machine is used. If Shupe’s certification had lapsed, he would not have been authorized to conduct a test.
Andrews didn’t pursue the claims further and dropped the motions in favor of the plea deal.
Andrews is chairperson of the city council’s Public Safety Committee and represents the city at-large.