Dateline: March 6, 2003

Ambulance driver arrested for DWI

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

A special session of the Donley County Hospital Board has been called for this Friday evening following Sunday’s arrest of Hospital District Administrator Alan Graham on DWI charges.

Officials with the Department of Public Safety in Amarillo said a trooper arrested Graham early Sunday morning on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated. Graham was reportedly driving a district ambulance in response to an accident west of Clarendon on US 287.

County Attorney Pro-tem Kaye Messer said Tuesday that she was still awaiting the full offense report but confirmed that Graham was arrested for DWI.

“Based on the information I’ve received, he was driving an ambulance but was not carrying a patient at the time of the arrest,” Messer said.

Graham told the Enterprise Tuesday that his situation is under investigation.

“All the appropriate agencies have been notified including the [hospital] board of directors,” Graham said. “I have resigned from the volunteer service of the ambulance authority.”

Graham also said he didn’t want his situation to cast a bad light on the qualified professional service given by the ambulance authority’s paramedics and EMTs to the people of Donley County.

Messer said her office would file the formal complaint this week. She said Graham bonded out of jail and has a bond return date set for March 13.

Details of events surrounding the arrest were not available Tuesday afternoon. Sheriff Butch Blackburn would not comment on the case pending formal charges being filed. The local DPS office referred all questions to the county attorney.

Messer, who had been out of her office on Monday due to illness, said Tuesday she had talked to the arresting officer but did not have his official report at press time. The maximum penalty for a first time DWI offense is 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Friday’s hospital board meeting is scheduled to start at 8 p.m.