Attorney pleads not guilty to DUI for councilwoman

Karla Burton's case unlikely to be resolved before run-off election

In the days following her Feb. 6 drunken driving arrest, a contrite Boulder City Councilwoman Karla Burton said she was "horrified" by her actions and vowed to never drink again.

During her arraignment on Thursday, her attorney entered a not guilty plea on her behalf to a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.

As a result, her case is unlikely to be resolved before the June 5 run-off election between Burton and challenger Travis Chandler.

Boulder City police arrested Burton at a gas station on U.S. Highway 93 after she failed a field sobriety test.

Police were directed to the location by someone who reported seeing a woman slumped over the steering wheel of her vehicle.

Boulder City Police Chief Thomas Finn said a blood test administered an hour after Burton's arrest showed her blood-alcohol level at 0.287 percent, more than 3 1/2 times the legal limit for driving.

Burton's blood sample also contained traces of a prescription muscle relaxant that is not supposed to be taken with high quantities of alcohol.

The 50-year-old attorney and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel was released into her husband's care within two hours of her arrest, Finn said.

A few days later, Burton admitted to the Review-Journal that she had been drinking that night. "I used terrible judgment, and I'm getting help," she said. "It was my last drink, basically."

A message left for Burton Thursday was not returned.

Her case is being heard in Las Vegas Justice Court, where it was transferred to avoid any potential conflicts of interest in Boulder City.

She did not attend Thursday's arraignment. Her attorney, John Howard, declined to discuss details of the case after the hearing. When asked if he planned to push for a reduced charge against his client he said, "That's what lawyers do."

The case is scheduled for trial Oct. 17.

Burton was elected to the City Council in 2003. In the April 3 primary, she finished second in a 10-candidate race for two seats on the council. First-place finisher Linda Strickland received enough votes to win a council seat outright.

Burton's general election opponent said he has no intention of making a campaign issue of her arrest.

"It's a personal problem she has to sort out. I wish her luck," Chandler said. "That's about all I can say about that."

According to a study by Brown University, a person with a blood-alcohol level of 0.2 percent will generally experience mental confusion and a loss of motor control and may need medical assistance or help moving around. At 0.3 percent, the level at which death can occur from alcohol intoxication, a person generally has "minimum conscious control of mind and body" and needs hospitalization, the study said.

In Nevada, the legal limit for driving is 0.08 percent.

There is no truth to any rumor she is friends with Elvis or Ralph, both of whom have been recently seen in Boulder City.

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