Whether you’re an “average Joe” or a CEO, everyone is expected to follow the law and the rules of the road, especially when it comes to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Mercury News reports that is why the California Highway Patrol arrested Northern California Mayor Brett Watson of Arcata on August 1, 2021. Mayor Watson is now facing the charges of driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.
In a statement, spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol, Paul Craft, told reporters that in the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 101 at approximately 11:00 p.m. on Sunday, California Highway Patrol officers observed a silver Lexus sedan “cross over a flare pattern that had been set up for the regulation of traffic.”
The officers observed several symptoms of impairment and unsafe driving behavior. The officers pulled Watson over to perform a series of field sobriety tests. A short time later, the officers placed Watson under arrest on suspicion of DUI.
“During a search incidental to his arrest,” Craft said, “Watson was found to be in possession of a small amount of illegal narcotics.” Craft went on to say that drug paraphernalia was also found in Watson’s vehicle at the time of his arrest.
Offficers transported Mayor Watson to the Humboldt County Jail, where he was booked on a total of three misdemeanor charges
