Jury views Cwalina booking video

BY MATT MILLER (Harrisburg Patriot-News)
Published: September 30, 2009

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Deputy state labor secretary Allen Cwalina told a Cumberland County booking officer that he drank beer at home after crashing a state-owned car.

Cwalina, 50, a former longtime Northumberland County Commissioner, made that claim on a video of his booking played for a jury Tuesday during his trial on drunken driving charges.

Senior Assistant District Attorney John Dailey claims Cwalina was drunk when he hit a curb and a parked car around 3 a.m. Nov. 26.

Defense attorney Bryan McQuillen said Cwalina was sober when he crashed, but drank later at his home about 500 feet from the crash site.

McQuillan said a steering malfunction caused the accident.

Cwalina appeared impassive on the booking video. The officer told him several times to keep blowing into the breath-alcohol testing machine.

Dailey said Cwalina's blood-alcohol level was .199 percent, more than twice the limit at which a driver can be charged.

McQuillan said Cwalina, deputy secretary of administration in the Department of Labor & Industry, will testify during the trial.

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4 posted comments

Karma :)
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hot dogger,  09/30/09 12:59
Well if he was sober then why didn't he have a clear enough thought process to report the incident? And who starts to drink at 3am? Especially enough to get that high of a BAC!
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Pete K.,  09/30/09 12:54
WHENEVER SOMEONE IS ACCUSED OF DWI, THE MANUFACTURERS OF ALCOHOLIC PRODUCTS AND THE STORES, CLUBS & BARS THAT SELL THE STUFF SHOULD BE ACCUSED OF ACCESSORY TO THE DWI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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CHUCK,  09/30/09 11:38
Karma :)
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hot dogger,  09/30/09 11:06