Well, that was certainly a quick turnaround.
Less than 48 hours after being arrested on a drunk-driving charge, and less than 24 hours after his school-based punishment was announced, Gary Pinkel has faced the legal music as well.
The Missouri head coach was scheduled for an arraignment on his DWI charge Dec. 13, but instead pleaded guilty Friday morning to misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. Pinkel was sentenced to 30 days in jail, although all of that was suspended provided he does not have a similar incident over the next two years.
No court fine was involved, but, the Kansas City Star writes, “a penalty of 30 days suspended driver’s license and a possible 60 days of possible further driving restrictions... will be applied in Pinkel’s case.”
Pinkel’s attorney said the sanctions levied on her client were the same any ordinary person would have faced, and that the speed in which the case was resolved was in keeping with Pinkel’s wishes.
“The resolution of Coach Pinkel’s case is consistent with the remorse he has already acknowledged, and his desire to take full responsibility for his actions,” attorney Bogdon Susan told the Star.
Pinkel was pulled over shortly after 11 p.m. ET Wednesday by Boone County Sheriffs for lane and signal violations. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has dug up some of the details surrounding Pinkel’s arrest, including the coach utilizing the standard “just two, ociffer” defense:The report from Robert Paul of the Boone County Sheriff’s Dept. said Pinkel had “glassy” and “bloodshot” eyes and a “strong odor of intoxicants.”
Paul wrote that Pinkel said he had two glasses of wine in a 90-minute period. During field sobriety tests, Paul wrote that he “observed indications of impairment.”
Pinkel declined to provide a blood sample but complied with a request to be transported to Boone County Hospital “for a blood draw due to exigent circumstances.”At a press conference Thursday evening, athletic director Mike Alden announced that Pinkel would be suspended for this Saturday’s game against Texas Tech, and would be barred from having any contact at all with the football team until Thanksgiving Day. Additionally, he was hit with financial penalties that could amount to just over $306,000.
