VENTURA : Councilman Issues Apology for Arrest

Ventura City Councilman James Monahan on Thursday apologized “if I have caused any embarrassment to the city or my constituents,” in his first public statement since he was arrested early Wednesday for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.

“Unfortunately, councilmen are people too, and they make mistakes,” Monahan said.

Monahan was arrested at 1:28 a.m. Wednesday while headed south on the Ventura Freeway near South Rose Avenue after a California Highway Patrol officer noticed that the councilman’s car was “swerving back and forth between the lane and the right shoulder,” CHP spokesman Brian DeMattia said.

Monahan said the incident took place while he was driving toward a home he owns in Camarillo after working at his office and eating dinner at Carrow’s restaurant on California Street.

On Tuesday, Monahan had spent the day at a League of California Cities conference in Anaheim, he said.

Upon returning to Ventura that evening, he learned that a close friend had died and headed toward The King and I restaurant on East Main Street in Ventura to meet with and console the widow and her relatives, Monahan said.

At the restaurant, he ordered one vodka and soda and a second drink was sent to him by a friend, he said. About 9:30 p.m., he left the restaurant and went to work at his Ventura office. After stopping at the Carrow’s restaurant for a late meal and two cups of coffee, he got on the freeway and headed home, Monahan said.

Monahan said a preliminary alcohol level test taken at the scene showed he was 0.01% above the state’s legal limit for drivers of 0.08%. DeMattia confirmed that a preliminary breath test was conducted, but said he did not know the results.

DeMattia said that a urine test was also conducted and that results of that test--which has far more legal weight than the preliminary test--will be available in two weeks.

Monahan said he made an error of judgment in assessing his condition before deciding to drive and added that a series of unforeseen circumstances contributed to his arrest.

First, he said, he would have never been drinking had it not been for the news of his friend passing away. “It was a shock to me,” Monahan said. Also, Monahan said, he was driving his newly acquired 1984 Cadillac, which has a much tighter steering system than the car he previously owned.

His unfamiliarity with the vehicle, Monahan said, made it more difficult for him to keep it in a straight line. “It just feels like a different car,” he said.

Finally, when he noticed the patrol car behind him, Monahan reached down to readjust his seat belt and at that moment his car swerved, he said.

“I feel embarrassed about the whole thing,” he said. “I don’t drink and drive. I just misjudged the situation. I didn’t think there was so much alcohol in my system.”