David Cassidy Arrested in Florida

As a teen, David Cassidy was on my short list of heartthrobs - along with Bobby Sherman, Barry Williams, and Donny Osmond. In the days before VCRs and mind-numbing cable reruns, I actually recorded episodes of The Partridge Family and The Brady Bunch on cassette tapes and would listen to them repeatedly.

So, when I saw David Cassidy was trending today, I was hoping it was for a good reason. Alas, it was not.

Cassidy, 60 (is that possible?), was arrested Wednesday night around 8:30 p.m. for driving under the influence (DUI), failing to maintain a single lane, and violating Florida's open container law, which prohibits an open container of alcohol in any unlocked area of a personal passenger vehicle.

Pulled over by a Florida Highway Patrol officer for drifting onto the shoulder and then nearly colliding with another vehicle as he tried to maintain a lane, Cassidy admitted to having a glass of wine with lunch and to taking prescription medication, including Hydrocodone about 3:30 p.m. In the course of the conversation, the officer states he smelled alcohol.

Another officer arrived at the scene and administered three field sobriety tests on Cassidy. He failed all three and that was when the arrest was made. After the arrest, a half-empty bottle of bourbon was found on the floorboard of Cassidy's car.

Cassidy was released from the St. Lucie County jail this morning at 3:22 a.m. according to sheriff's department records. He was quick to engage damage control.

Cassidy's representative soon told TMZ that he was not drunk and will fight the DUI charge. She says Cassidy admits to taking pain killers, but he would "never jeopardize anyone on the road." She further explained that he would not have been driving at all if he had not been attending a funeral.

Breathalyzer results say differently. Cassidy blew .139 and .141 in two separate tests. Florida's legal limit is .08.

Unfortunately, I have a few issues with Mr. Cassidy's story. First, in that same interview with TMZ, the representative refers to Cassidy attending an "early morning funeral." He was pulled over at 8:00 p.m. While the location of the funeral was not made known, Port St. Lucie, where he was arrested, and Ft. Lauderdale, where Cassidy lives, are less than 100 miles apart. If the funeral was a significant distance away and he knew he would be driving for hours and he knew he was in need of prescription pain killers, he should have also known that he needed a driver. The reason he was driving is no excuse for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Second unbelievable point, I doubt very seriously that the smell of that one glass of wine from lunch would have been evident to the patrolman nearly eight hours later.

And, lastly, the reason I do not believe him is from personal experience. More than 30 years ago, I was pulled over for not staying in my lane. In taking the breathalyzer, I was below Florida's legal limit. As a result, I was charged with reckless driving, not DUI. Fact is I was drunk. I'm not proud of it, and I would never do it again. I am now usually the designated driver when friends go out and about. However, the fact still remains, legal limit or no, I should not have been on the road. That experience taints my judgment when I hear people whose blood alcohol level is clearly above the legal limit yet they claim to have "only" had a glass of wine or "only" had one beer.

Face it, folks. There is no reason, excuse, or explanation for being on the road impaired - not for me, not for you, and not for David Cassidy. Call a friend, call a loved one, call a cab, but don't get behind the wheel of that car.

Sources:

Radar Online

NBC Miami