Sam Donaldson: ‘Not Guilty’ For Drunk Driving

Veteran reporter Sam Donaldson was hit with a double whammy last year when he was charged with a traffic violation and a DUI offence. On Friday a judge acquitted him.

Sam Donaldson could be seen writing notes furiously in the court room as the many hours of testimony were presented to the Judge in the Court of Common Pleas. He was pulled over on December 1, 2012 on a road in Savannah, but according to Donaldson’s attorney, Eric Mooney, there was no valid probable cause for his arrest.

Donaldson, who has been a reporter with ABC for many years, was told by Judge Rosemary B. Beauregard that he had been arrested and charged without “probable cause.”

Mooney noted inconsistencies in the police report regarding sobriety tests carried out and timings during the arrest. Furthermore, the roadside balance test which was given to Donaldson is not intended by law for those over 65.

Judge Beauregard agreed with the Sam Donaldson’s defence team that the records from the traffic stop and the arrest which followed were “spotty”, rendering the case void. She said about some of the errors in the police’s case that they “give the court pause as to the accuracy of the information the court has received.”

After the trial Sam Donaldson, who was jubilant at the court’s decision, said he was “clearly happy it turned out this way.”

Sam Donaldson was ABC’s White House reporter from 1977 to 1989 and then again from 1997 to 1999. He was also the news anchor for a number of shows on ABC and covered every single political party convention in America since the mid-1960s.

What do you think about Sam Donaldson‘s acquittal? Do you think the court did the right thing by throwing the case out or do you think there is usually no smoke without fire and that he should have been found guilty? Share your thoughts on the matter in the comments feed below.