BOULDER CITY:

Ex-official sent home for rest of DUI stint

Judge rethinks former council member’s sentence

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Former Boulder City Councilwoman Karla Burton was at home last week within hours of being sentenced to 25 days in the Clark County Detention Center after appearing in a special DUI Court after she had been drinking.

Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle suspended the jail time and allowed Burton to go directly to house arrest after reconsidering her decision last Tuesday.

“After the judge considered all of the facts ... she decided one more chance was warranted,” said Tracy Cordoba, Osterle’s executive assistant. “They believe they have her attention now.”

Burton was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence in February 2007 and agreed to a plea deal that required her to enter the Moderate Offender Program. While making her first appearance in that program before Oesterle, she failed a Breathalyzer test, showing a blood-alcohol level of 0.115, over the legal limit to drive of 0.08. Burton said she had not been driving, but under terms of the program she is not supposed to drink at all.

Attorneys argued that Burton had pleaded guilty to driving under the influence before a different judge and had not been given Oesterle’s usual stern verbal warning to stay away from alcohol, Oesterle’s executive assistant said.

While on house arrest, Burton will wear a GPS anklet to monitor her location and a SCRAM anklet, which checks for alcohol use.

She was also required to obtain a breath interlock device, which is installed in an automobile and disables it if the driver has been drinking. Burton has obtained all of the devices, Cordoba said.

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By POWERPLAY

Oct. 13, 2009

9:01 a.m.

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Well-Well: Look at this just more political corruption in Nevada! Some people are just to good and special to serve jail time in a real jail. It must be really nice to have connections and plenty of juice. Nevada is a gate keeper state and las vegas is a company town. AND TO THINK THAT JUSTICE IS BLIND >>>>> YEA RIGHT!