A former Connecticut Board of Education chairman and current member of the board will be behind bars for 120 days for drunk driving. The 62-year-old man was arrested four times for DUI within 12 weeks.
Stephen Wright, who pleaded guilty to both driving with a suspended license and DUI, was actually sentenced to 18 months in prison. However, after 120 days, the remainder of his sentence will be suspended.
That sentence is for just for one of his DUI arrests. He has yet to be tried on charges of driving under the influence in Derby, Norwalk and Shelton. He was arrested in February by Norwalk police for suspected DUI. Just five days later, he was arrested for the same offense in Shelton. The following month, Connecticut State Police charged him with DUI and failing to stay in his lane. He was arrested again in April in Stratford.
Wright was released on these previous DUI charges after posting bond. However, after failing to appear in court, a warrant for his arrest was issued in April. He was arrested in New Haven.
Regarding his duties with the Board of Education, a spokesperson for Gov. Dannel Malloy said, "There are several legal matters before Mr. Wright that require his immediate attention and full focus. As such, we have not yet had conversations directly with him regarding his future role on the State Board of Education, but do expect to engage in such a dialogue as some of these pressing matters begin to be resolved."
Obviously, DUI charges can have serious ramifications on a person's life, career and reputation -- particularly when you have more than one. An experienced Connecticut DUI attorney can work to help mitigate the severity of the punishment and perhaps advocate to get defendants the treatment they need rather than time in prison.
Source: Connecticut Post, "State official goes to prison for DUI," Daniel Tepfer, June 26, 2017