Aurora Councilman Sentenced for High-Level DUI

Aurora City Councilman Rob Andrews pleaded guilty on June 2 in Arapahoe County District Court to one misdemeanor count of DUI - .2 or higher, ending a case that began with a January traffic stop by Aurora police. Prosecutors said Andrews’ blood alcohol content measured 0.252 after officers pulled him over on Jan. 17, a level more than three times Colorado’s legal limit of 0.08. The plea deal dismissed other traffic counts tied to the stop, including improper turning and a lane-use violation. Andrews was sentenced to 10 days of home detention, 12 months of probation and 48 hours of community service, according to local reports. ### What did Andrews admit to in court? The June 2 plea covered a single misdemeanor count of DUI - .2 or higher, a charge used in Colorado when a driver’s alcohol level is at least 0.20. 9News and Denver7 reported that Andrews entered the plea in Arapahoe County court and avoided jail time under the agreement. Other counts filed after the stop were dismissed. (9news.com) Denver Post reporting said Andrews was sentenced to home confinement, probation and community service. A Denver7 account listed the sentence as 10 days of home detention, 12 months of probation and 48 hours of community service. The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, cited by local outlets, said the 10-day jail sentence would be served at home. (9news.com) ### What happened during the January traffic stop? Aurora police stopped Andrews on Jan. 17 after an officer reported seeing his Ford F-250 weaving and making an improper turn near South Chambers Road and South Chambers Circle at about 9:30 p.m. Local reports said officers described the pickup as splitting lanes and making wide turns before the stop. Andrews was then arrested on suspicion of DUI. (denverpost.com) A police report cited by 9News and other Colorado outlets said Andrews’ measured blood alcohol content was 0.252. Colorado’s legal limit for driving is 0.08. That reading became the central fact in the case and the basis for the higher-level DUI charge to which he later pleaded guilty. ### Did Andrews contest the evidence before pleading guilty? (9news.com) Court filings in March showed Andrews’ lawyers questioned whether the officer who administered the breath test was properly certified. The Denver Gazette and Colorado Politics reported that the defense sought proof of the officer’s authorization to conduct the test and challenged the breathalyzer evidence in pretrial proceedings. (9news.com) By June 2, Andrews resolved the case with a guilty plea instead of taking the challenge to trial. The plea ended the dispute over the misdemeanor case without further litigation over the test’s admissibility, according to the court outcome reported by local media. ### What did Andrews say publicly after the arrest? (denvergazette.com) Andrews said after his January arrest that he took “full responsibility” for his actions and apologized to his family and the community, according to Denver7 and Sentinel Colorado. CBS Colorado reported that he later addressed the allegation publicly at a council meeting, his first public comments after the arrest. (9news.com) January coverage also showed Andrews saying he would not resign from the council while the case was pending. 9News reported that Andrews, who had been elected in November to one of Aurora’s at-large seats, remained on the council after the arrest. ### Why did the case draw extra scrutiny in Aurora? (denver7.com) Andrews was a newly elected council member when he was arrested, and local outlets identified him as chair of the council’s public safety committee. That role put added attention on the case because the committee oversees issues tied to policing, courts and civil service. (9news.com) Aurora’s council had already faced public debate over whether Andrews should continue serving after the arrest. Coverage in January and February focused on his refusal to resign and his insistence that he would cooperate with the legal process while remaining in office. ### What happens next for Andrews? The sentence requires Andrews to complete 10 days of home detention, serve 12 months of probation and perform 48 hours of community service. (9news.com) Those terms were reported after the June 2 hearing and appear to resolve the criminal case unless probation conditions are violated. (cbsnews.com) Aurora City Council records and future public meetings will show whether Andrews keeps his committee role and how colleagues respond after the plea. The court case itself moved from a January arrest to a June 2 guilty plea, and the next concrete milestone is completion of the sentence imposed in Arapahoe County court. (sentinelcolorado.com) (denver7.com)