Before Texas Governor Rick Perry’s criminal indictment, before national attention turned its focus to the state capital Austin and Perry’s 2016 presidential ambitions – Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg was arrested for drunk driving.
Lehmberg, a Democrat, is one of the most powerful prosecutors in the state. She had a blood alcohol level of 0.239percent – nearly three times the legal limit – when she was arrested in April 2013.
Jailhouse video shows her drunk, belligerent, threatening officers, kicking the door of her cell and repeatedly trying to pull rank in the Travis County Detention Center.
Perry called for Lehmberg, an elected official, to step down after her arrest. She refused and he responded by vetoing funding for her office, which operates an ethics unit that investigates public corruption. On Friday, a grand jury charged Perry, a Republican, with abusing the power of his office.