Springfield police arrest City Councilor on DUII charge
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SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - Police arrested a 4-term City Councilor on a charge of DUII early Sunday morning.
A Springfield police officer spotted a Cadillac pull out of the Whiskey River Ranch on Main Street around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, police said.
The car drove below the speed limit for a few blocks before pulling into a gas station.
That is where the officer contacted the driver and gave him a field sobriety test.
The officer later arrested Dave Ralston, a Springfield City Councilor, and booked him into the Springfield Jail.
Sgt. John Umenhofer declined to release any details of the field sobriety test or blood-alcohol readings.
"What I can say is that tests were given, that a DUII investigation was done that resulted in the arrest of this individual," Umenhofer said.
Umenhofer confirmed that Ralston twice called Springfield Police Chief Jerry Smith - once from the gas station prior to the field sobriety test, and a second time later from the jail.
KVAL News tried to get Ralston's side of the story. He initially agreed to an interview but canceled 15 minutes later.
Ralston gave an extensive interview to The (Eugene) Register-Guard, claiming entrapment.
"In this country, everybody has a right to a trial," Umenhofer said. "There's a lot things that people can say they believe would be a defense in cases of this nature."
Why are people suprised. Anyone at the bars on just about every weekend will see Dave Ralston on the dance floor and drinking the night away. This is just the first time he got busted. My question is how dose he dance all night, when his car is parked in a handicaped parking spot? He must have forgot about his weekend activities when he picked up that handicap card. I know how I will be voting next election day.
Just curious:
1. How would that "entrapment" plea work?  Doesn't sound logical.....
2. Would he expect a law enforcement professional like Chief Smith to make the arresting officer give him a wink and a ride home? Â Especially after that 2nd middle-of-the-night call. Â
3.  Wouldn't it have made more sense (and fewer headlines) to have  issued an apology and face the music?
"We're sending the message that you can commit crimes and not have any consequences,"Â
Quote from 2004, Springfield Councilor Dave Ralston when Springfield announced it's new jail.
Four terms is a recipe for corrupt people in office and this poor excuse of a human is just going to say "I only had a couple of beers" and the judge will put him in a drunk class and put him on probation and Mr. Ralston will be driving drunk again next week. Hip hip hurray ...Makes me wanna PUKE !!
P.S. The county comissioner I am speaking of is in Sherman County. I don't even live in lane County but read the news from all over Oregon.
No surprise a public official will try and use his position to get off. If they let him off this will be a true disgrace to the justice system. Take resonsibility for your actions. He is no different then the uncle of my grandson's girlfriend. He thinks because he is a county commissioner in a different county he can throw his weight around in ours. His unfit brother calls him and whines about his daughter to his brother. Then is P.O.S. brother calls the police here to cause problems. They have abused the process so much they can't call the police an more or they will be charged with harassment. And this is a county commissioner. I am not impressed by ANY political official no matter what their status. You can be kicked out of office just as fast as you got elected. You might be full of yourself because you have a title but not everyone is.
Can we say TAXI? This man has been in office too long when he feels he is above the law.
 âI wasnât under the influence of anything.â said the guy leaving The Whiskey River Ranch.
 @Stooge Newton i'm sure it was just a "misunderstanding".  The breath test should clear things right up. Â
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Good job Chief!  Finally an outward show of integrity Springfield residents can be proud of from our much maligned police department!  This "Boss Hogg" call to the chief is a blaring sign that Mr. Ralston has been in office to long.  If he has the stones to make those calls, what else has he had the stones to do?  Maybe if we had some investigative media in the area, they would check into his past behavior.  And no, I am NOT a democrud out for republican blood, I am a republican who thinks NO ONE is above the law.
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Bet Dave knows the word TAXI know.
 @drinkmorewater Know doubt! Â
Entrapment my as.s.
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And the gall to call the police chief for special favors.Â
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And I bet the guy wants to ban guns also.
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Drunks kill and injure more people than guns do.Â
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City council anyone? Â I predict a vacant seat in ward scumbag.Â
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What on earth would make you think this guy wants to "ban guns"?
Whether or not he wants to restrict civilian access to military grade weapons, I dunno. but I doubt it.
As for gall: Â Right you are.
So I will never condone driving under the influence, too many legal ways to get home from the bar. That being said, how is driving UNDER the speed limit warrant a traffic stop and not a violation of his 4th amendment? Was Mr. Ralston targeted because he walked out a bar? What is his track record/relationship with local law enforcement? Could Mr. Ralston been targeted by Springfield PD because of past or future positions with the department? Guess I would like to know if it's policy to initiate a traffic stop of any vehicle leaving a bar regardless of whether or not they have committed a traffic infraction?
@Twistthewrist How about just maybe his driving alone was suspicious enough to warrant a stop. Slow and deliberate movements might indicate something to hide. Let us hear the rest of the story before making judgement, like the court record and evidence????
 @Twistthewrist It was not a traffic stop, but a contact. Driving slower than the speed limit after leaving a bar is an indicator of an impaired driver. And also there was no entrapment, unless the officer was buying drinks for Ralston and then telling him to drive. No one forced him to drive after consuming alcohol or what else he had in his system.Â
 @Twistthewrist Go read the full story at register guard.  He was never pulled over. He stopped to fuel up at a gas station and the officer walked up to him. Â
 @TwistthewristÂ
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It's really not a conspiracy.
 It is simply called probable cause.
SPD are professionals and they are trained to spot drunk drivers.Â
It's just that simple.Â
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i take away from your suspicion that you are a drunk driver yourself.Â
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@Jason Marks @Twistthewrist I am a teetotaler, occasionally I would get a call to come to the local saloon for dinner, when I would leave, I would get followed by the town clown, seeing the Barney behind me I drove very cautiously, was aways red lighted, when I would ask why I was pulled over, they would say my tail light was out, I would get out and check, it was always working, they would ask to see my ID and then tell me to get it checked out and leave, later in life I got a job that ended at 2 A.M., I could not drive more than 5 blocks from the hospital before some Roseburg Rookie had me pulled over, they never had probable cause, just a jerk with a badge harrassing the general public, their trick was to walk up to the car, I would pull out my license and ask why they had pulled me over, they would hold up their hand, pretend to talk into the mike, tell me they had to take that call and would leave, I bought it the first couple of times, no conspiracy, just probable liars.Â
 @Jason Marks Clearly you didn't read that I don't condone drunk driving and state that there are many legal ways to get home safe. I take away from your suspicion you are a LEO or wannabe.
First offense, he will walk away, I think the Cop shops get too much money, he needs to remember this during budget talks, we got way too many cops.
DUII aside, attempting to use his position to call the Chief for a get-out-of-jail-free card. Â Loser. Â Another black-eye for Springfield. Â Thanks, Dave. Â And hats off to the Chief for letting the officer do their job and not intervening. Â