It's never a good sign for a town when its mayor appears in court. But for the mayor of Eufaula, seeing just one judge in one day would have been a blessing.
On June 2, Eufaula Mayor Dean Smith went before not one, but two judges. One appearance came in front of District Judge Thomas Bartheld on charges of driving under the influence, transporting an open container of alcohol and, because that apparently wasn't enough, failing to obey a traffic signal, according to a story on NewsOK.com. The judge gave Smith a $900 fine and a one-year deferred sentence, as well as ordered him to have alcohol and drug assessments.
Somehow, we doubt that's going to make it into his next campaign slogan.
Smith also shuffled across the court hall into Associate District Judge James Pratt's courtroom. There, the mayor stared at four counts of embezzlement.
Quite a day's work there.
Smith is accused of using his office to get $200 in city funds by using a city credit card to fill up the ol' Mayormobile and later get reimbursed. The judge ordered Smith to stand trial on the charges.
A DUI in one courtroom and embezzlement accusations in another: That's something Chicken-Fried News intern Bucky could only match with alleged public indecency and illegal gambling after a night of strip poker on Northwest Expressway.
