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May 18, 2009

Sen. Zeb Little pleads guilty to DUI

By Patrick McCreless

Sen. Zeb Little pled guilty Monday morning to driving under the influence of alcohol and having an open container in his vehicle — a month after he was arrested for the crimes.

“When this happened I said I would do two things,” Little said. “I said I would take steps to make sure I never put my family through this again, and I’ve done that. And I said I would take responsibility for my actions. I did that today (Monday).”

Jefferson County District Court Judge Sheldon Watkins imposed fines totaling $625 for the two convictions. He also gave Little a 30-day suspended jail sentence with one year probation.

“That is standard for a first-time offense,” Little said. “I didn’t ask for any special treatment and wasn’t given any.”

Little will also have to attend a DUI class.

“Anyone convicted of a DUI has to go to a court referral,” Little said. “I’ll be pursuant to a court referral officer.”

In addition, Little’s driver’s license was suspended for 90 days.

“My wife is a school teacher, and she usually gets off after 3 p.m.,” Little said. “Hopefully I can persuade her to drive me to work. I also have a bicycle I plan to ride some.”

A charge of failure to yield to an emergency vehicle was dropped as part of a plea agreement.

“That is standard,” Little said.

Alabama State Troopers arrested Little on April 3 on Interstate 65. A passer-by flagged down a trooper who had seen a crash on Interstate 65 involving two vehicles. One of the vehicles, which left the scene, was driven by Little. The vehicle had damage to its front side.

The trooper on the scene reported Little had alcohol on his breath and an open container inside the vehicle.

This is not the first time Little has had a brush with the law due to alcohol. Little was arrested for driving under the influence when he was 19 years old but was acquitted of the charge.

During a previous interview with The Cullman Times, Little said he would get help for his alcohol problem through the Alabama State Bar, which has a program to help lawyers struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. Little said he is still working on his problem, but would not go into detail.

“I’m taking every step that I can,” Little said. “The specific steps I’m going to keep private.”

  • Patrick McCreless can be reached by e-mail at patrickm@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.

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