West had insisted his wife had not been drinking the night she was arrested, calling the arrest “insidious.” Dallas police said they stand by the officer’s decision to arrest Graham-West based on the information available at the time.
The wife of Texas GOP gubernatorial candidate Allen West had no traces of drugs or alcohol in her system, despite being arrested and jailed overnight by Dallas police almost two weeks ago on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the city’s district attorney said Wednesday citing toxicology results.
Angela Graham-West, 61, was driving home from dinner at P.F. Chang’s with her 3-month-old grandson when she was pulled over after an officer witnessed her swerving into the shoulder of the highway.
An arrest affidavit that Graham-West’s attorney Todd Shapiro provided to The Texas Tribune claimed that Graham-West showed signs of intoxication in portions of the field sobriety test. Shapiro had attributed those issues to a previous brain aneurysm behind her right eye. A Breathalyzer test conducted at the scene was inconclusive.
Shapiro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Allen West, who was previously the head of the Texas GOP before he resigned earlier this year to run for governor, had blasted the Dallas police department on social media, calling his wife’s arrest “insidious” and “unjust.”
On his campaign website Wednesday, West said the toxicology report proved the arrest was “unwarranted and baseless.”
“I stand by my assertion that a full apology to my wife Angela is warranted,” West said in a statement. “As well, the full unedited body cam video should be released by the Dallas PD Chief Garcia to the press and the public. My wife’s honor and reputation should have never been assailed.”
West previously said his wife had only drank water and lemonade at the restaurant. He provided a photo of a receipt to the Tribune that confirmed the order.
In response to West’s criticisms, the police department released dash and body camera footage of the arrest in a press conference a few days after the arrest, calling West’s description of the events a “mischaracterization.”
In a statement, the Dallas District Attorney’s office said they were rejecting the case because the toxicology report conclusively showed Graham-West had no drugs or alcohol in her system at the time blood was drawn.
The Dallas Police Department said it was aware of the lab results from the toxicology report.
“Due process is guaranteed to everyone, and Mrs. West is no different,” according to a statement provided by the department.
“The officer made her decision based on the information available to her at that time. The purpose of addressing the media and releasing the video footage of the suspected DUI arrest of Mrs. Angela West was not to prove guilt or innocence, but to show the interaction between the officer and Mrs. West because of the accusations regarding the encounter. The remainder of the process lies in the hands of the District Attorney’s office. We respect the ultimate decision of the District Attorney’s office and we will refrain from commenting further.”
Photo: Angela Graham-West, wife of GOP Gubernatorial candidate Allen West, was cleared of a DWI charge Wednesday after a toxicology report revealed she had no alcohol or drugs in her system at the time blood was drawn. Credit: Florida Atlantic University
BY KATE MCGEE with Texas Tribune.
