Politics & Government

Report: More Details in Councilman John Burn's DUI Arrest

Burn, 52, offered town council business card instead of license during traffic stop.

Mount Pleasant Town Councilman John Burn offered police his town council business card instead of his license during a DUI investigation Saturday evening, according to a police report.

Burn, 52, reportedly rear-ended a car on Coleman Blvd. around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, after leaving an event at Alhambra Hall in Mount Pleasant, according to a police incident report. No one was seriously injured, though the occupants of the other vehicle requested medical attention for chest pains and other issues.

DOCUMENT: Read the full police report.

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Police officers wrote that Burn had slurred speech, blood-shot eyes and apparently had wine stains on his dress shirt, according the police report.

An officer asked Burn to gather his license and other paperwork while police spoke to the other motorists. When the officer returned to Burn, his breath smelled like mouthwash and alcohol.

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"He was still fumbling through the same pile of papers he had when I first talked to him," the officer wrote. "Mr. Burn tried handing me a town council card when I asked for his identification, and I stated that all I was interested in was the paperwork I asked for."

After failing a battery of field sobriety tasks, Burn reportedly asked to speak with the town's Chief of Police to "speed up" the process. The request was denied. Earlier in the stop, the arresting officer made his superior aware that he was dealing with a town councilman.

Burn was elected to town council in 2009. His term ends in January 2014.

Mount Pleasant is notorious for aggressive DUI enforcement. In 2012, the town's police force was noted as having the most DUI arrests in the state.


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